My Girl
by Shadowed White Rosebud
Summary: *After FANG* Max is finally happy in a relationship with Dylan. But when Fang comes back, and the Director's back with a new plan to destroy the world, what will happen? What's this about an Anti-Flock? You know it'll be good...Fax, Mylan, Fudge
1. Chapter 1

A/N-Okay, I wanted a Max and Dylan and Fang story, so here's a new one. It's gonna be a love triangle, so hold on! This chapter's basically just to set the scene of it, okay? Almost like the prologue. More of the story on chapter 2, I promise. Don't forget to review, and enjoy this new story.

**My Girl**

**Chapter 1**

My world was shattered. As pathetic as it was to admit it, my whole world had left me, leaving me nothing but a pathetic letter in its place. I hadn't wanted to face anything after he left. My best friend, my right-hand man, the one I had loved more than anything. He had made it perfectly clear that the mission was more important to him than me. I would have cast the mission aside, and gone with him as far as anything.

But he had pushed me away. It was like a slap in the face. A rejection. Something that told me that I wasn't as important. He'd made the best choice for the world, but I remembered a time when I was his world.

Let Angel be the leader, let Dylan stay here, let Jeb push us around and tell us what to do. Just bring him back. Dear God, bring Fang back to me. Send him home. It had already been months. Several months had gone by, months that I had done nothing during, spending my day asking myself questions, questions like why I was even alive now. He'd taken everything from me.

Do you know what it's like to lose something? Something so important to you that you couldn't stand it? Even to lose someone that meant as much to you as the oxygen you breathed, or the ground steady under your feet? No. You have no idea. I didn't want to be judged. I had ceased life altogether, and I was a shell that ate, slept and existed.

My family tried to pick me up. I knew I was scaring Iggy more than he'd ever been scared. He had tried the hardest, or the next to hardest, to help me. I was his only true sister, it seemed.

Angel had ceased all communication with me. I didn't even hear her voice in my head anymore. Gazzy had abandoned me two months ago, and even Nudge fell silent. Dylan was the only one who talked to me. Day after day, as I read that letter, rereading that last promise of seeing him in twenty years, Dylan was the only one that brought me food, despite being told that it was never going to happen between us.

And it never was. I wouldn't wait for Fang, either. It had destroyed me, letting him go like that. It was like I wanted to go to sleep and never wake up.

I was reading the letter again when I heard a knock at the door. It was so soft, I knew it had to be him. When it was soft, it was always him. Dylan's the only one here I can't blame or hate, because his personality is just too kind and soft.

"Max?" he called softly as he poked his head through the room. I quickly stuffed the letter into my bedside table, busying myself with a magazine lying next to me on my bed.

"You were reading it again," he said quietly. "You were reading the letter again. I thought you told me you hadn't picked it up for two weeks."

"I wasn't thinking," I said emotionlessly, looking down. The tears no longer welled up. I didn't think I could ever cry again. I felt so empty and lonely that nothing could make me feel anything, ever again, but pain and loss and grief.

"Yes you were," he said, his voice growing unnaturally hard. "You meant to. You can't put it behind you, even though you'll see him again. He loves you too much to leave you here forever," he said bitterly.

"I didn't mean to," I almost whimpered.

"Yes you did," he finally spat. "You miss him too much for your own good. You just can't let it go, Max. You just can't forget him. The dirty bastard left you high and dry and you can't forget him because you don't have a better world than him."

I clenched my jaw and looked up. I grabbed his shirt collar with my hand, as if to strangle him and threaten him, but it looked more like I was trying to support myself on him. "Listen," I breathed raggedly, no longer having the strength to sob. "You…you don't know what it's like, not to be able to hold someone because they couldn't take it anymore. He cracked and he left, and now I can't take it anymore. You don't know what it's like to miss them everyday and wonder where they are. You don't know what it's like to hurt like crazy over them, and you never will. You…you don't know what it's like."

He threw my hand away. "Save it," he hissed. "It's obvious you can't do the same thing as he did. You can't just think of your flock. The younger kids need you to be there for them, and where are you? In here, with me being your slave, your only means to the outside world? Don't ever think like that! Get your life together, for me, for them!"

"But-"

"But wait. You won't do anything for me. You've resented me all this time. And you still do," he whispered, and was out the door before I could stop it.

I fell back. Now he was gone, too.

"Oh, Max," Angel greeted as she swung through the door that Dylan had just stormed out of.

"Oh, look who finally wants to talk to me!" I proclaimed to the heavens. That sarcasm thing? I still got it. But sadness just makes it sound lame, so I don't use it very often now.

"Just shut up, Max," Angel said angrily. "I just came in here to preach to you, okay? Get your freaking butt in gear. I've had to take over being the leader since your little meltdown, and we all miss Fang too. I know you love him and everything, but please just try, for us! Get off your stupid pity thing."

Gazzy poked his head through the door too, followed closely by Iggy and Nudge. Oh, goodie, the gang's all here. "Angel's right, Max," he said evenly. "Mourning for the loss of Fang isn't going to bring him back any faster. He's gone for now. And you can't just sit here. You're better than that."

"No, she isn't," muttered Angel.

"Our point is, it's been over half a year since Fang left, and you're already sixteen," Iggy said. "It's time for you to buck up. If you're planning on waiting for Fang, you've got another nineteen years, so we might as well start now.

"And just what do you plan on doing with me?" I sighed. "You all know that I don't want to get up in the morning, let alone talk to you about any of this. There are some things you just can't understand-"

"Stop," Iggy held up one hand.

"We're actually going on a trip, the whole flock, without Jeb. We need to get you away from here for a while. This place clearly has too many memories of Fang," Gazzy clarified excitedly.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Well, it's a really nice place, that has no memory of Fang whatsoever," Angel began.

"Where are you taking me?"

"And we'll be staying in a hotel completely funded by CSM – that's Jeb's credit cards," Iggy grinned.

"Where. Are. You. Taking. Me?"

"Las Vegas, Nevada," answered Nudge. "Tonight."

* * *

"I'm sorry about earlier today," I said solemnly to Dillon as he helped me pack my things in a huge suitcase that was lying open on my bed. I carried a mountain of my clothes and heaped it in, then went back for anything else I might need.

"Whatever," he sighed. "It's just like always, Max. You get upset about him, and then I get upset because I don't want you to hurt. It'll happen again tomorrow. It won't change until he comes back."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"Max, I'll be blunt. I don't want him to come back. I like it how it is. He hates me, and I hate him. And you'll end up choosing him, forgetting that you were ever friends with me."

"That's not true. I can have friends, and I can have a boyfriend."

"Not friends like me."

And it was true. No matter what, I couldn't stop myself from being drawn to Dylan. He was extremely handsome, with shaggy blonde hair and piercing blue eyes that made you want to totally forsake any boyfriend that you had and go for him.

But not Fang. Fang had my heart, and that was all that mattered. Besides, it wasn't like Fang was too shabby either, know what I mean?

Iggy came running in, a look of pure evil on his face. "Look what I found in Nudge's room," he said excitedly, and held up a Justin Bieber bra. "She doesn't know I took it."

"Iggy!" Nudge yelled from the other end of the house.

"Aw, shit," Iggy swore. "I'm coming, Nudge!" he shouted as he ran out of the room.

When I looked back for Dylan, he had gone. My eyebrows furrowed. "I'm not finished with you yet!" I hollered for him. "You can't always do that to me, you can't always disappear, because that's being just like…just like…"

"Just like Fang, Max?" asked Dylan coldly, right behind me.

"Aaaaaarggh!" I shrieked as I realized where he was. "Yes, just like Fang! I'm sick of you, and your judgments, and your teleporting, so just leave me the hell alone!" I screamed at him. "I don't need you, or your friendship, or your confusing behaviors!"

He turned and pressed me against the wall, his face inches from mine. I gulped, and for the first time since Fang left, I felt my heart flutter in my chest. This wasn't how I was supposed to be feeling, I wasn't supposed to be feeling this way about Dylan, my friend, my brother practically…

"You listen, Max, and you listen good," he ordered through clenched teeth. "You're talking about how I don't know anything? I know a lot. You're the one who doesn't have to watch the one girl you truly love think about some other guy all day and have it hurt you so much because you're not the one that can make her happy anymore." Tears pooled in his eyes and he blinked them away rapidly.

"Damn it, Max, I love you, and you know I do! You've avoided me for a whole year, and when I finally get close to you, it's to comfort you about that bastard that left you. I'll never leave you, Max! I would never hurt you! But you ignore it, because of him. Ignore me, because of him. Every day, I think about leaving, and I know I can't, because the only thing keeping me here is you."

"Dylan…"

"Don't give me that! Don't tell me we can't be together, don't tell me you love Fang, don't tell me we can still be friends, 'cause I don't want to hear it, Max! I know we could just have a chance, if you weren't so hung up on Fang."

"Dylan!" I shouted at him, and he winced, we were so close. I didn't notice how close we had gotten, but his nose was pressed against mine, and I had the sudden urge to do things that should never be done to that boy. "I'm so tired of hurting you, and I'm so tired of me hurting over this, but I have to wait for him, whatever it takes. It'll always be me and Fang."

"You _are_ hurting me, Max. You're hurting me every day that you're in love with that guy, and I can't stop you. But I want to stay here, because I want to be with you." And right in front of my eyes, he was gone.

"One more thing," a voice behind me said, and I jumped. "I can teleport, Max." He was gone for good when he vanished next.

I had to get out of there. I was so confused. I ran straight out the front door and off the cliff. For a few seconds, I considered who would miss me if I were to jump and not unfurl my wings. I came up with two people.

On one hand, there was Fang, who I loved. I knew that I loved him with all my heart. I still got butterflies in my stomach when I even remembered kissing him. I remembered him from my days at the school, and I remembered our first kiss. I remembered being jealous of Lissa at that school in Virginia, and Fang rescuing me from the giant squid. How could I ever give up Fang?

But on the other hand, there was Dylan, the one who was here now, and loved me, at least. I didn't know how I felt about him. One minute I wanted to fade forever into his deep blue eyes, and the next, I was remembering why I could never be with him, as good as it would feel. Because Dylan was easy to talk to. He was straightforward, and not dark at all.

I was hurting Dylan by wanting to be with Fang.

But I would hurt Fang if I was with Dylan.

Why did this all have to hurt so much?

"Hey, Max," said Nudge tiredly as she came in with the Justin Bieber bra she had snatched away from Iggy. She looked so grown up now that she had just turned fourteen. "Look, I know this is all tiring. That's why we're leaving. Like we need to start clean, because we'll be living without Fang for the next twenty years. But, between you and me, I…I really think that Dylan could be good for you."

I reeled on her. "You think I don't know that? You think I haven't been worrying about things like this every day? I know it's a lost cause with Fang, I just don't want to admit it to anyone. I don't really think he'll ever come back. He'll just hope I forget or something. But I'll never forget, I'll never forget how much I love him! And I won't have Dylan forced on me!"

"Dylan's been kind to you," said Nudge coldly. "Choose him."

"So much for being subtle!" I threw my hands up. "He has been kind. He's been generous, polite, chivalrous, competent, and a good friend. But he's just not…"

"Not Fang?" she replied. "You won't give him a chance because he's not Fang. He was made for you, Max. Even you can't deny it. He's made for you, meaning you have to love him, no matter what, because he's perfect for you in every way. And he's really in love with you, just like he's supposed to be."

"I'm not going to have my life planned for me!"

"You just don't like not being in control."

"Hey, you guys," Angel said with a frown as she walked in. "Good to see that you're bonding again. We're out of here now. We have a schedule."

"Dylan left," I said blankly.

"Dylan's waiting for us in the car," Angel said briskly. "He's driving, even though no one's really old enough to drive. Get whatever luggage you have and we're out."

"I thought I was supposed to be the leader," I muttered.

"Not when you're an emotional wreck," she challenged scathingly.

"Say, why are we taking the car when we can fly?" Gazzy asked from the doorway.

"It's more convenient for all we need to carry with us," Angel answered. "Get your things, and Max's too, since I doubt she'll be able to carry them without crying, and get them in the minivan. Grab a couple more of Jeb's credit cards and half the fridge, too. It'll take longer than it would flying to get there."

I glared and took it all out to the car myself. Slamming the trunk as I threw Nudge's pink suitcase in, I grabbed the car handle to the front seat and yanked it open, a murderous look on my face. "I'm going to kill her," I fumed.

"I know the feeling," Dylan said almost wistfully.

"Angel?"

"No, you," he said with a grin that I desperately tried to ignore. The last thing I needed right now was one of Dylan's heart-stopping grins. If I looked at it, I'd fall in love with him for a second time that day, and I was already trying to squelch the first one down into nothing, which is exactly what it would have ended up as, I was quite sure.

"Where's your sense of humor?" he cocked his head to the side and I sighed as the other kids got in the car. "Just drive," I commanded, and we pulled out and onto the open road.

* * *

I was at the cave, the same cave, with the hawks that were still there. I could see them flying around as I walked slowly to the entrance, knowing he was there. Joy flooded through my body as I saw the same jet-black hair, the same black clothing that he had worn twenty years ago, the last time that I saw him.

At thirty-five, twenty years ago to the day was when I last saw him. He had aged some, and I had to be sure it was the same Fang, he looked so much older and worn. But I knew that because he was the Fang that I loved, I had to go to him.

"Fang!" I shouted and ran to him. As I enveloped him in a hug, he disappeared into a mist in my arms, and I had no idea where I was anymore. _I will never come back. Never, never. You're alone. Alone, alone. I will never come back. _

I jolted upright, the words still jolting through my head. I was alone without Fang. Completely alone, no matter how many people around me. I knew he would never come back. He'd write to me, promise me to come back, and then the letters would disappear, slowly, leaving me hoping for the rest of my life. I didn't even know if I would still be alive in twenty years.

I slowly took in the cream colored walls, the ivory bedspreads, the soft surface I was lying on. I was in a hotel room. A very empty hotel room. The rest of the flock was nowhere. What had happened to the car?

"Dylan," I said as I saw him next to me. Apparently he was the only one there. "How'd I get in here?" I asked groggily. "Where's the flock?"

"One question at a time," he rolled his eyes. "Okay, so, you fell asleep in the car. Shoot me for not having the heart to wake you up and carrying you in here. By the way, you weigh a ton. You're pretty heavy for someone who's skinny with lightweight bones."

"And the flock?"

"They went out."

I sat in silence for a few minutes, thinking about the same things as that morning. Dylan, Fang. Dylan, Fang. It was all the same thing today, and it had all come so fast. Maybe I had just gotten tired of waiting for almost a year. Before today, I would never have thought of Dylan and I, only what would happen once Fang got back, and we could finally be together.

"I didn't just stay quiet while I slept, did I, Dylan?"

"…No."

"I'm so sorry," I muttered.

"Sorry about what?"

"Don't pretend you don't know. I'm sorry for putting you through so much for over a year, even before Fang left. I'm sorry for putting you through so much stress because Fang left, and I'm sorry you always felt like I didn't care about you just because I wanted to stay loyal to Fang. And I feel so guilty, even considering being with you and not him."

"You were considering that?"

"…Yeah."

He leaned in and kissed me then, nothing hungry or passionate, but our lips lingered on each other's for a while, when he pressed his mouth back to mine, more confident and urgent this time. At some point, I realized that it was wrong, that Fang could still come back, but I couldn't stop.

And I didn't stop until the other kids came into the room.

* * *

"Hey, Mike [1]," I said tiredly as I crashed on the couch of his apartment. He looked so much older than he had two years ago in the subway tunnels, or on the beach with his Mac. And much better in terms of his attitude. I had kind of forced him to take his medication, which was a good thing,

"Hey," he answered, and I didn't look up as I caught the can of pop he threw at me.

"Take it easy," I said wearily. "You weren't the one who took out a huge branch of Itex today, single-handedly, I might add."

"And he's ever humble!" proclaimed Mike. "You forget that I'm the one who coordinates the whole thing for you."

"Fair enough." I stared intently out the window at the sky, wondering how often Max flew nowadays. "It was the last one."

"The last what?" he asked absent-mindedly as he flipped through papers on his desk.

"The last branch of Itex. I can't do anything about global warming, only the large corporations, and that was the last one. I have to go home now. Thanks to you, it was a lot quicker than it should have been."

"Wait, you're leaving? You're leaving me here? What the hell am I gonna do?"

"You'll think of something. I gotta get back to my girlfriend."

"…Okay. Do what you gotta do."

"I can't believe I told her it was gonna take twenty years. I practically gave her up, and broke both of our hearts, all to get it done in under one year. What's she going to think if I come back so suddenly? Will she hug me or kill me? Dammit, why do I have to be so stupid?"

"This is the girl who was screwing with my Mac in that subway tunnel, right? Well, she's way too strong to crumble just because you left her, no offense. So get your ass over there, go get back to her."

"Right now?"

"Right now."

"Thanks, Mike."

"Take care."

_Wait for me, Max. I'm on my way. _

**[1] If you didn't remember, Mike is the one from the first book who was in the subway tunnel when Max first started hearing the voice. His name isn't revealed until the third book. **

**This is my first story with the character of Dylan, so please review!**

**~Rachel**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N-Thank you to all who reviewed! This story is goint to be great to write, I can tell. The POV will change, but I won't make it clear who's POV it is, you'll just have to use clues to figure it out. Shouldn't be too hard. Also if I didn't make it clear last chapter, this is going to be a little more serious than my other stories. Lots of drama and decisions. Keep reading, I love ya' all! ^^**

**My Girl**

**Chapter 2**

It was long into the night, somewhere in the early hours of the morning. The sky was pitch-black outside our window, with the stars just beginning to fade. I hadn't gotten any sleep in the hours that the other kids had, and Dylan himself hadn't moved. I wasn't going to go over there and check. After the other kids had walked in on us, no one had spoken for the rest of the night.

I don't think they were surprised. Angel definetly wasn't. They knew that Dylan was always kind to me, and they may have been expecting it for some time now, that Dylan would get his wish, which was to drive Fang out of my heart. Which hadn't happened yet, but in their opinion, it was all in good time. But they were probably wondering what had brought it on, and if I would reject Fang when he came back.

I didn't know what I would do, either. Was I just going to keep cheating on Fang until he came back in twenty years? Then would I spring into his arms and hurt Dylan in the process? I couldn't do this to either of them, and it was tearing me apart inside. I had the horrible thought that I could very well do that, see Dylan for as long as I wanted, then spare Fang's feelings by having secret relationships behind each other's backs.

I was then reminded that it would never work. Both of them would immediately know I was lying.

Easing out of the bed, so as to not wake Angel and Nudge, who were sprawled all over each other –and me- I made my way over to the window and gazed out, at all of the traffic and city lights, knowing that in the city there were a lot of people with problems, each more complicated than the next. At the moment, I didn't think any of them were as complicated as mine.

I felt a pair of slim arms wrap themselves around my waist, and I immediately froze. "Why are you still awake?" he breathed in my ear.

"Oh, I just couldn't sleep," I said nonchalantly, despite my being extremely irritated by the way he was so casually imitating Fang. If it wasn't Dylan, I would knee him where it hurts and slap him in the face for acting so casual about it. Arms around my waist, my foot.

"You couldn't sleep because you're worried about Fang again," he read my mind again. "Look, Max, I know that you're worried about what he thinks, and I know you're worried about leaving him because he's the only guy that you've ever loved. But did you ever stop to think that I could be good for you too, and most people don't end up with your first love? It's natural to find someone else."

"You don't understand," I said accusingly, bitingly. "Fang's always been there for me, and he still loves me."

"Fang left," Dylan growled, his voice rising, despite my trying to calm him.

"But he hasn't found anyone else. I can't betray him like that, no matter how right it feels to be with you. Either way I go, I end up breaking someone's heart. No, you don't understand, and you never will. This is a decision that I have to make, a choice that I have to deal with, and I choose him."

"Why?" the pain in his voice was overwhelming. "Why, Max? Why do you choose him? I know what you think about, and you know about this, too, that Fang cared more about his mission than you, and that's why he left. I would never, ever leave you, and you're first in my world. You've been first in my world for a long time, and I've been the only one that listened to you, your only friend. So why do you choose him over me?"

"It's complicated," I mumbled, the tears welling in my eyes.

"It's not as complicated as you make it seem. You want something familiar to you, something familiar to love, and that doesn't include me. You've made it so clear that you wanted nothing to do with me, and you've accepted my friendship and smiles without giving me anything back, you've been content to do so. And you spend all your time daydreaming about Fang, but when I kiss you, your initial reaction is to kiss me back for half an hour before the kids come back."

"I just…"

"Just what? Just lost control?" he said scathingly, and then his face became hard as stone. "Did you get through it just by picturing Fang when you were kissing me? Was it that horrible, Max, that you need Fang to get through it?"

"No!" I whisper-shrieked, and almost shattered the window with my fist, but thought better of it. "No, no! I meant it, Dylan! I always meant it, and I always knew that deep inside of me, I loved you too, but I will not, will not let it out, ever! I'll wait for Fang forever if I have to, because I love him, and there's nothing you can do about it!" Once again, I was lying to myself.

"Then why are you with me?" he groaned. "I can't ever leave you, Max. I tried to, because you treated me like a dishrag, but I never could because, for whatever reason, I love you. And I always will. I'll always love you, no matter what the flock thinks, no matter if they kick us out, because when you love someone, you don't leave, and you don't back out, no matter how much it hurts."

"Why the hell do you love me so much, if I treat you as poorly as you say I do?" I asked, my voice full of doubt.

"I ask myself the same question every day," he answered, and gave me my favorite half smile, a trait which I never made known to him but occasionally tried to goad out of him. My will crumbled in an instant as he leant down and captured my lips in a fiery kiss, and I thought nothing else of Fang, knowing I would deal with it all in twenty years.

-

I heard Max and Dylan talking about Fang with my back to them as I watched Angel sleep, and the familiar jealousy burned in the pit of my stomach. I had tried so hard to convince Max to pick Dylan, but she just wouldn't get off of Fang. I had endured her and Fang kissing and loving each other for months before he left, and I had tried my best to ignore it, but now that he was gone, I just couldn't take it.

I was in love with Fang. I had been in love with Fang ever since we had waited together for Max at the cave with the hawks and we had flown together. I had never told him, and he had never known. Now he wouldn't know for another twenty years.

I had done a very good job of covering it up. Around Max, I was perfectly normal and sweet, backing her up as I always had, making her think that I was on her side. I hated Max now. She was always controlling, and she didn't deserve Fang. If it wasn't for her, Fang and I could have been together.

She probably thought that I was into Iggy, just because he was pretty much my only friend. Angel knew how much I loved Fang, but she had always sided with Max, up until she left, when she just decided that enough was enough. I don't think she cared anymore who Fang ended up with, but of course, she was leaning more towards Max than me.

I understood how Max was in love with Fang. He was the best guy ever, but I was in love with him too. He was the only boy I had ever loved, and I was mad at her for taking him. Now, when I had just turned fourteen a few days ago –though no one remembered, Max included- and could be with him, he wasn't here.

I rolled over silently, pretending to be asleep so as not to draw any attention to the fact that I was awake. What I saw when I opened my eyes shocked the hell out of me. Max and Dylan were locked in a kiss, and he was cradling her against the window as she ran her hands through his blonde hair. Just as quickly as I opened them, I shut them tight, and just in time for them to break apart.

"I'll give you all the time you need," Dylan whispered, "but just consider choosing me. I'll never be Fang, but I'll always be yours."

Maybe there was a chance for Fang and me.

-

I threw everything I owned –which wasn't much, let me tell you- into a brown suitcase of Mike's. He came into the room, and what he saw probably surprised him. I was going as quickly as I could, because the less time I spent packing, the sooner I could get on the road –metaphorically, of course- and see Max again.

I hadn't liked leaving her. But it was something I needed to do for the flock. Give them a chance to get used to the fact that we were going to be together. Now that I had practically saved the world, because there was really nothing that we could do about global warming and pollution than we hadn't already done, I could go home.

Home. It was an unfamiliar word now. But it meant wherever Max was.

"Man, you don't have to hurry that much," Mike drawled from the doorway. "It's not like she's gonna spontaneously combust if she doesn't see you in the next five minutes, dude."

"If she doesn't, I will," I answered with a nervous laugh. "I don't know how she's gonna react to this. Will she hate me? I just left her a note, I didn't even have the balls to say goodbye to her face. Knowing Max, she'll probably rip my arm off and beat me with it."

"Huh. You're more of a weenie than I thought," he said nonchalantly. "Besides, isn't this a little human for you? Fang doesn't get happy or nervous or scared. Fang's above us all, the invincible Fang! Yet he's worried that his _girl_friend's gonna rip his arm off and beat him with it! Geez, you're the king of testosterone, aren't you?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Shut up," I chucked the alarm clock at his head. "I just need to pack. I want to see my family again. I feel like I just went off to a war I didn't want to fight, and I haven't seen anyone for years."

"You brave soul," he said dryly.

"All I know is that I have to go see her now, before it's too late."

"You know, I hate to tell you this, but most normal girls would just fall apart when the one they love leaves them. But this chick, I think she's tough. She's probably fine without you."

I gave a sad smile. "She probably is."

-

"Blllllarrrgggh!" I snorted as the hot water rolled off my face and nose. I couldn't breathe, and my head was throbbing. I picked myself off the floor of the hotel shower, realizing that I must have fallen asleep. How long had I been in there? Slowly picking myself up off the floor, I felt dizzy and groggy. I had been up all night, first thinking about Dylan, then talking with Dylan, then making out by the window, then in the hall with Dylan for hours.

"You alright in there, Max?" came a voice and a knock on my door. Oh, speak of the Dylan. I mumbled some lame excuse and scrubbed myself quickly, practically falling out of the shower when I got out. Scrambling around for a towel and tired as hell, I heard him say, "Well…okay. Just, don't hurt yourself," in an amused voice.

Things got even more amusing when Iggy got into the picture. "Maybe Dylan wants to go in there and help you, Max?" he asked, then cackled as he walked away. I wrapped a towel around myself quickly and yanked the door open. "What's your problem, Iggy, I almost just drowned in the shower-"

And I ran headlong into Dylan. Interesting things can happen when a person's standing right there, but nothing as interesting as this. Him being larger than me, he didn't flinch when I ran into him. But instead, I let go of the towel and grabbed him to steady myself as I was falling backwards, pulling him down on top of me without the towel, which was flung somewhere in the room.

I screamed.

Dylan gaped a full two seconds before I pushed him off of my –very- naked form and crawled into the bathroom. Shielding their eyes, Iggy and Dylan scrambled for the towel, but the door was shut before they could blink, and I was leaning against the other side, breathing heavily and scared out of my wits. Well, I guess this was a way to take our relationship to another level. I just thought it was gonna be a while before my 'boyfriend' saw me naked.

"What the hell did you do to Max?" I heard Gazzy ask on the other side of the door.

"Go away," I groaned as I slipped into the change of clothes that I was so glad I had brought in. "Go blow up something, go play in the pool, I really don't care!" I stalked out of the bathroom after applying at least some makeup, and Dylan shot me an apologetic look. "Not one word," I growled. "Not one freaking word."

I refused to speak to anyone the rest of the day out of sheer embarrassment. Even now, we were staying in the hotel all day, specifically because it would make it easier on me to be away from home like this. They were treating me like they would a work of art, as if I was fragile and would easily break. I probably would have.

Angel had been unusually quiet that day. She would stare blankly into space for no apparent reason, then wake up suddenly and remember where she was. Everyone tried to calm her down and ask her what was wrong, but she wouldn't respond to anyone. She appeared closed-off and unfeeling, and I realized this is what I must have looked like, only much, much worse.

Nudge had been quiet too, which was out of the ordinary, because, as we all know, Nudge has always been the motormouth, and my depression hadn't changed anything about it. She'd constantly be caught staring at me strangely and then look away as if nothing had happened. Coldness emitted from her, and it was unfamiliar.

Iggy went about his business despite the tenseness, earning multiple groans from all of us at his lame jokes from two or three years ago. "How do you wake up Lady Gaga?" he asked, and, not even waiting for the answer, replied, "You Poke 'er Face!" He crowed with laughter and we simply endured it.

Dylan was the most encouraging. He shot me winks and loving glances when we were alone, or when no one else bothered to look. He'd toss his arm around my shoulder as if he'd been doing it always, and elbow Iggy when he made any rude or inappropriate comments about what had happened this morning. He let me live in silence that day.

I glared at Iggy as he fired off another round of jokes "Why doesn't Lady Gaga like sushi? Because it's rah-rah-rah-ah-ah" and grinned childishly at me.

"Don't you ever pick on someone besides her?" Nudge asked as she applied another layer of hot pink nail polish while lying on the bed watching American Idol. "Yes, Tim got in!" she punched her fist in the air.

"Tim?" Iggy asked, clueless as usual.

"The hot one," Nudge informed him.

"Who lost?"

"I don't know, I'm watching it, shut up!" Iggy winced at her outburst.

I stared at Angel, sitting on the floor with her eyes closed and her legs crossed Indian-style. I walked over and picked up the pink iPod nano in her lap, and plucked the earbuds out of her ears. Justin Bieber's One Time was playing –so typical of Nudge and Angel, I swear to God he was their new obsession- but it didn't look like she even noticed that I took it out.

"Angel?" I asked, tapping her on the shoulder. She didn't blink, or even open her eyes. Unflinching, her eyes remained closed and her breathing stayed the same. "Angel, honey, are you okay?" I moved my hands in front of her face, but she did nothing. "Angel!" I shook her lightly. I was starting to get worried.

Her eyes snapped open, and she stared straight forward, as if she was possessed. Slowly, the color came back to her face and the humanness came back to her eyes, and they widened in fear and shock and surprise. She whipped out her phone and started texting. She was texting Nudge. She ran into the bathroom and locked the door so the rest of us couldn't see Nudge.

The only thing I saw before she took off were the words 'SOS, HE'S'…

Who? What? I was so confused.

-

I turned my phone on silent before Max could see that I had gotten Angel's text. I had known this would be coming, I had just expected it to be nineteen years from now. This was an emergency situation. Angel had seen a vision. It had just started after Fang left, she could see bits and pieces of the future, and sometimes, she could see something big coming. Once, she had seen the moment before Iggy crashed our truck into a tree, and she had been right. We had rushed down there just in time to make sure he wasn't hurt.

But this was even bigger than that. I knew what this meant. With dread and excitement building in my heart, I flipped the phone open, and I saw the message. I opened it hastily.

"_SOS, HE'S COMING. FANG IS COMING. HE'S DESTROYED ITEX, AND HE'S COMIGN BACK FOR MAX. HE DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT DYLAN, BUT HE'LL BE HERE SOON, VERY SOON. YOU CANNOT TELL MAX. NOT IF YOU EVER WANT TO BE WITH FANG."_

This surprised me. Angel wanted me to be with Fang? Could it be true, could I really end up with Fang? My heart soared as I realized that anything was possible, and that it could work out between Fang and I. He would come and see that Max was with Dylan, and that would leave him for me. It was a childish dream, but a dream nonetheless.

Max walked up to me and snatched the phone from my hands, but I'd already deleted Angel's text. "What are you hiding from me?" she spat. "Why else would Angel be texting you in secret?"

It was time for lying mode. I grabbed her arm and dragged her into the hall. "Look, Max, I heard you and Dylan together last night, and so did Angel. We're really happy for you, that he treats you so well and you kissed him. I know that you didn't want to hear about it, because you still have to make a decision between him and Fang, so we were just talking about it over her cell."

"It seemed like she was having a vision," Max said skeptically. "Was she having a vision? Did she see who I'm ending up with? Because it's going to be my choice in the end."

"Oh, no, Max, she didn't have a vision. She was pretending at first so you'd leave her alone." I nodded, smiling, at Max, who still appeared skeptical. _The bitch. You stay away from Fang. I've put up with too much from you over to lose to lose to you now. _

Angel snorted from the bathroom, and I knew that I had won her over. I grinned in my mind, and sent her a mental picture of Max and Dylan making out, cupids and little hearts floating around them. I knew it was all she could do not to burst out laughing and blow our cover.

"Okay, but I got my eye on you two," she said suspiciously, then retreated to the chair that Dylan sat in front of, where she absently stroked his hair. I mentally cursed at myself for missing American Idol. It was probably all over by now. I came back into the room just as the show was ending.

I stamped my foot angrily. "Okay, Ig, did you see who got voted off?"

"Maybe…for the right amount of money."

I forked over a ten dollar bill. "It was Andrew and Katie," he chirped. [1]

-

It was late at night when I had finally gotten myself into the sky. Flying with a backpack full of cans was hard enough, but flying with a suitcase was super hared. I had taken a break only a half hour ago, and now it felt like my back would break. Luckily, I was almost there.

Home. It would be so good to get there. It was my only dream while I was gone, being home, being with Max, making jokes with Iggy. I missed them all so much that it hurt, and I was dreading and looking forward to seeing Max again.

Approaching our hometown, our house, I remembered so many things from right before I had left, which were the only memories I had of the house.

There it was. I zoomed down from the sky, fanning my wings out and gently floating down to the front door. I took a breath before knocking on the door, and held it until I was sure that I could do this. No one answered, and I started to panic. Don't worry, Fang, they're gonna let you in. I knocked again, and waited patiently, only to be rewarded with silence.

I went around the back and then finally just decided to break the front window. I searched the entire house, which smelled painfully of the flock, but they just weren't there. None of them were. It was like they had just vanished.

Walking out the front door, I grabbed two fistfuls of my hair, bowed my head and screamed. "No!" I shouted. "No, no, no!" I punched the sidewalk with each word, bloodying my hands, but I didn't care. Let them do whatever they wanted to me. Let me bleed to death.

But give me back the flock.

Max, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, where have you gone?

**[1] I don't watch American Idol, and I don't plan to. I had to go to google for a lot of this. Tell me if I flubbed anything up. **

**As always, reviews are loved. xD**

**~Rachel**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N- I'm updating less and less! ;_; I'm so sorry! School is out in two weeks, so after that I'll be online more uploading more stuff. Speaking of, the poll for my next story ends May 1st, 2010. If you want to vote, vote now! I will say, FAX is so far ahead that it's going to win. I already have an idea for a new story, which will begin on May 10, 2010. Keep an eye out! **

A few days passed, the happiest days I had experienced in a while. I had forgotten to pack the letter from Fang, which helped a lot, and our house didn't constantly remind me of Fang. We had packed all the clothes and supplies we needed to live there, and I was aware that we'd be staying for a few months, long enough for me to forget about Fang. No matter how much I tried, though, there was always a lingering trace of Fang on my brain.

Slowly, I felt myself slipping under Dylan's spell, his charm and ease, his joy for life. I tried to tell him that Fang was, and always would be, my only true love, but he just wouldn't have it, and sooner or later, I ran out of willpower to resist. He had me wrapped around his finger in an instant, but I didn't care. The days were full of laughter, quiet glances at one another and stolen kisses late at night.

Iggy was happier than ever that I was recovering, and was back to his usual funny self, trying to teach me how to cook without burning everything, and I was failing miserably at it, although I was just happy to spend time with my oldest brother. Gazzy was eager to please, and helped with anything that might make my life easier, minus some teasing on his part. He just couldn't help it, we had grown up together that way.

I felt Angel and Nudge distancing themselves from me. I knew that Nudge hadn't told me the truth, but I dismissed it, convincing myself that they would both come around sooner or later. They never did, and often texted each other back and forth to avoid talking in front of me. I worried about what they were texting about, but I never wanted to know, I didn't know if it would shock or anger me, or both.

Half a month, and I was beginning to believe that we would never go back to our old life, that we would stay in the hotel forever, and enjoy the time we had there. No one mentioned anything about the old house, because they had noticed the change in me. Most of the time I didn't think of Fang, and they knew it. They wanted me to forget, almost as if they didn't care about Fang whatsoever. I knew it was a lie, but I tried to convince myself that I didn't care either.

I no longer felt lost, or lonely, because I had Dylan. I no longer felt incomplete, or in any way no longer whole, because he was with me. I felt better than I had in months, all because he had agreed to stay with me. Logically, I should have loved him more, and forsaken Fang for him, but I couldn't bring myself to. Dylan had told me to tell him when I made my choice, but I was putting it off, because the truth was, I couldn't make the choice. I loved them both so much that it felt like I would explode.

Daydreaming once again, I felt water splash on me as I stared out the window at the pool. Gazzy looked at me with a mischievous grin, and I smile-scowled at him, sending him diving under the water and out of sight. Angel and Nudge dozed on their inflatable chairs in the other end of the pool. I sat on my lounger in my old shorts and ratty T-shirt, but every once and a while, Dylan would look at me like I was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

I only groaned with despair as I glanced at Dylan in the pool, his body covered with droplets of water and his soaked hair splattered across his forehead. His tan chest and abdomen glimmered in the light, and his piercing eyes locked on mine for no longer than a second, but just long enough for me to become weak at the knees and look quickly away. I hated how love made me vulnerable and weak, but I suppose it was something I'd have to deal with.

Gazzy scrambled out of the pool and ran over to the towel rack, grabbing one and running over to me with it. He dried himself off while sitting down next to me. Thinking about Fang while he was around made me nervous, as if he was the one who could read minds. He looked up at me curiously as I nervously played with a piece of my hair. "Hey Max?" he asked in a curious turn. I turned toward him. "How come we stopped going on missions after Fang left?"

I took a deep breath. "You know, Gazzy, when something like that happens to you, even though it's hard to understand, it was like the whole world was flipping me off, and I thought, screw the mission. There was really nothing else we could do anyway, and it wasn't our problem. It still isn't."

"Well then, why did we stop seeing Dr. Martinez and Jeb?" he asked.

"My mom told me to forget about Fang. I don't blame her for being worried, but I didn't understand how she could want me to give him up so easily. Jeb kept trying to push me towards Dylan, which is why I didn't love him for so long."

"Do you love Dylan now?" Gazzy whispered.

"I don't know, Gazzy," I sighed. "I don't know."

* * *

Damn it! I flew out of the neighborhood and into the sky. Although their neighbor had tipped me off that they had gone to Las Vegas, Nevada, I didn't know where they were or how to find them. Just because I knew the city didn't mean I knew where they were. In that city where thousands of people were crawling around daily, how was I to find six –if you counted that rat Dylan- normal-looking teenagers?

Why did they have to go to Las Vegas, of all the stupid things they could do? I wondered whose idea it was. I knew they were expecting for it to take me twenty years, but now I would never find them, and had no idea when they would be back, or if they would be back. From the looks of it inside, it looked as if they had just picked up and left.

Had Max missed me as much as I had missed her, or had she moved on? To some human, some worthless boy from down the street or somewhere else? Or to someone closer? I was fairly certain that she'd never go for Dylan, she'd protested so much against being forced together with him, she'd never fall in love with him now. Was it Iggy? I had always worried about that. He was the same age as her, and even though he acted like her brother, he could have been thinking about something else.

Oh, God. This was torturing me. I started to panic, and only flew faster. I had to get to them before anything serious happened, before anything like that did happen, if it hadn't happened already. I didn't know what I would find when I got there. Nudge and Gazzy could be going out, or worse, if there was anything worse than that already was.

I whipped out the cell phone that Mike had given me and called him. It rang three times before he picked it up. "Been eating the barbeque chips again, you pig?" I practically yelled into the phone. "I have a crisis here!"

"Ow!" he yelled right back. "I'm 5'2" and 107 pounds, there's no way I'm fat! I'm, like, the shortest guy you know!" It was like he was there, because he sensed my death glare through the phone. "Okay, okay, chill. What's your 'crisis', dude? I got American Idol recorded, and-"

I grimaced. "You're as bad as my sister. You wanna know about my sister, the really funny thing? She's not freaking in my house, and neither are the rest of them! They're gone, Mike! Gone, nada, zip."

"What do you want me to do about it?" he asked lazily.

"You're the freaking computer nerd! I want you to get your lazy butt off that ratty couch I know you're on, grab your laptop, and figure out some tech-y way to track them!"

"Okay, okay, I'll see what I can do. I'll text you the address in five minutes, okay?"

I smiled and pressed end. Dylan would pay.

* * *

I loved swimming in the pool, because no one could see that I was crying. I could say that my eyes were red from the chlorine, that the tears running down my face were water droplets, and plant a fake smile on my face despite how much I cared for Fang, and how much Max apparently wasn't willing to let him go.

I had tried to be a brat a couple of weeks ago by lying to Max about what Angel and I were talking about, but it wasn't because I hated her. I was in love with Fang, so desperately in love that I had been willing to put Fang ahead of my sister, and that had been wrong, I knew. I hadn't even told her how I felt about him, and I knew it was wrong to feel that way, too.

I still didn't know when I was going to tell her that Fang was coming back. I didn't think it was any hurry, because Angel had predicted Fang's return weeks ago, and he still wasn't here. I had no idea whether to hope for his return or dread it, or what would happen when he did come back. In my fantasies, he would walk up to me, pick me up and swing me around, claiming that he loved me all along. In real life, he would walk up to Max and snatch her from Dylan, leaving both of us alone.

Dylan had already put up with so much. I understood where Max was coming from, I just wish Dylan had placed his love somewhere else, somewhere safe. I felt utterly and completely sorry for him, that he had tried so hard, and it had almost always been a case of unrequited love. Now, however, they were spending more time together, and sending each other glances when they thought we couldn't see. They would sneak into the hall into the late hours of the night, and they thought I didn't know. Angel and I were the only ones who did.

Angel and I had joked many times of simply making Max and Dylan fall in love with her mind controlling abilities, but she had then said that it wouldn't be real love, and when she turned her back, it would go back to the way it was. Now, I found myself wishing that it would really be like that.

"You know I can't do that," Angel slid her shades down and looked at me. "I'm on your side, I really am. I want Max to be happy, and Dylan's a free spirit that makes her happy. But Fang also loves her more than anything, as much as it hurts you, so I'm willing to look at it either way. Whatever happens, you'll be alright," she promised me.

"I want to believe you, Angel, but it always seemed that Max got to have a love life with whoever she wanted. Now I'm fourteen, that's as old as she was when she fell in love with Fang the first time. It isn't right, and it isn't fair."

"Nudge, stop acting like a spoiled brat. I know you're hurting inside, and I get that you truly love him, but Max will ultimately make the choice."

I turned around and blinked away my tears, disappearing under the water once again.

* * *

I grinned at my phone as I proudly held up the address while wandering through the streets of Las Vegas. I only had a while longer to look for the hotel, it was on the other side of town, but I figured I'd take my time walking to figure out what I was going to say to Max, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy and Angel. And how I was going to confront Dylan if anything had happened.

I clutched the iPod in my hand like it was the only thing supporting me from falling over and dying of a heart attack right then as I brushed past people, taking my time, my heart pounding. An emo-ish boy once and forever, Fall Out Boy blared in my ears and a black sweatshirt, black T-shirt and black skinny jeans cloaked me, and my bangs brushed against my forehead and covered my eyes, warning strangers to stay away.

Maybe that's why little kids ran from me all the time.

There were a million places to gamble in this city, but I didn't have a single penny in my pocket. I had nothing, nothing to my name and certainly no help for the flock or Max. I had nothing to offer her, nothing to help them make it through another day. Not that I had any money to begin with.

I crossed blocks and blocks of cement slower than any normal human, despite the inhuman speed I possessed. I was taking my time, because I was scared. When the Erasers were coming for us, I met them with a snarl on my face and a fist to their nose. When Jeb betrayed us, I was ready with a half-smile and a tissue for Max. Now, when I really needed to be strong for her, I just couldn't be. I felt like running away.

I had a lot to figure out. I had to figure out what Max really thought of me, and what she really thought of Dylan. I had to figure out what I thought of Nudge, who had always been no more than a sister, but whenever we were alone, I had always felt a certain feeling around her, which I had tried to squelch down, and was coming back now, after nearly two years.

I had to figure out what I really thought of the entire situation, and what I really thought of Max and Nudge. It wasn't some grand competition, in my mind, Max was clearly the first choice for me, the girl that I planned to spend my life with. I had always loved Nudge like a sister. Until that day when Max just had to help Ella, and leave me alone with her, and I realized how beautiful she was inside and out.

I shook my head furiously. No, Fang. Get a hold on your emotions. It's just because your world's falling apart at the seams, just because you can't get a hold on reality, just because you're delirious or not thinking clearly, that you think Nudge is anything special in your heart.

It wasn't true, but I made myself content with that. I would forget everything I saw in Nudge, and forget everything Max had ever felt for Dylan. I was coming back for Max specifically, and neither Nudge nor Dylan would stand in my way. I would sooner kill anyone that did than endure one extra moment without her.

As I wandered through the streets, lost without a clue, despite the address in my hand, I felt emptier than ever, and my head weighed heavy with despair.

* * *

I woke up with my head nestled into the soft pillows of the hotel. A warm breeze blew in the window, and I lifted my head, expecting to see Dylan and the others watching TV and playing Monopoly on the floor. What I found, instead, was the whole room empty. The others had just randomly disappeared. Was I really alone? I wondered. I slowly crept off the bed and over to the computer with free internet access on the other side of the room. Now was my big chance.

I quickly jumped into the chair and logged on as a guest. My eyes flashed as I clicked on the internet, and shifted to the door every five seconds, desperate not to get caught. I opened a new tab with internet solitaire, just in case. I didn't want to be caught, or else my secret would be out.

I typed in the address bar, .com. I smiled at him having named the website after my full name, a sign of how much he had loved me. Screw Angel and all the others, I knew that Fang was perfect for me and I was for him. Dylan would just have to find someone else, I thought with a grimace. I scanned the blog posts from two years ago, and then a year ago when he had left. My eyes lit up as I saw the post right above that, dated for three days ago.

" _I'm sorry for the long absence. I told you in the previous post that I would be gone for twenty long years, but now I've destroyed the branches of Itex, and it's taken much shorter than expected. I'm posting to say that it's over and done, that I've made it a little easier on everyone destroying the large corporation. It wasn't easy, and there's still dried blood on my knuckles, but at least it's gone. _

_I'm going back for Max. I don't know if she'll still want me to come back, or if she's mad as hell at me for only leaving her that stupid letter, or if she's missed me nearly as much as I've missed her. The new guy in the flock, Dylan, might have even got her to like him back, but I'm going to try hard to get her back. _

_I don't even know if I have readers, or if anyone's checked this in the last months, but I'm too busy to check or care. I'm posting this for one reason and for one reason only, that if Max happens to be out there, she'll read this and understand that I'm sorry for everything I did to her, if I did anything at all. She's strong enough to live without me, but I'm not strong enough to live without her, and I'm coming back. Coming back for her. _

_Wherever you are, Max, I love you and I'm truly sorry. I need to find you, and I don't know where you are. I'll check at our house, but something tells me you won't be there. _

_Fly on, _

_Fang _"

I slumped against the back of the chair in defeat. There was no way this could be true. My eyes flashed with wonder as I realized that he had finished, and that he was coming for me. He was coming to find us, but I had no way of finding him. Would he ever get to us? Would he ever find us? Though I should have been happy, I felt nothing but a sick dread, because sooner or later, I would have to tell Dylan that he was coming back.

This was what Angel and Nudge had been hiding from me, taking their time to throw Fang off my trail, hoping that I would just be happy. I didn't have people decide for me, and I certainly wasn't going to get who I had to love decided for me, either. I loved Fang. I loved him. Dylan didn't matter to me.

The door flew open, and I scrambled to exit out of where was. Just when I needed a little help, just when I needed it to finally work in my favor, the computer froze, and I was stuck where I was. Dylan stalked in with a murderous look on his face, and suddenly, I was afraid. But not of him. It was the same fear I had got in my stomach when I had read Fang's letter for the first time.

He stood behind me, and I was rooted to the spot. I wanted to run away, or run into his arms and never let him go, or say some unkind things that I couldn't believe myself for thinking up. "Fang's blog," he read, and I could tell he was grimacing. "I might have known," he said coldly. "Come on, Max. I think we need to talk." I followed him weakly.

He led me into the hall, and slumped against it. I stood, paralyzed with fear as he bowed his head and just breathed for a few minutes, and I made up my mind that I had to tell him, once and for all, that nothing more could possibly happen between us. In an instant he cried out and flung his fist into the opposite wall. I closed my eyes, unflinching.

"Why do you do that?" he said into the wall. "I tried so hard to help you for months on end. I thought you were over him. I tried so hard to make you happy, and I knew that it was a show. I came in today and I wasn't surprised. You just can't let him go. Pathetic," he said bitingly. I winced.

"You knew I loved Fang!" I screeched at him. "I told you time and time again, and you wouldn't let it go! You tried to get me to cheat on him with you! He said he was coming back for me, and now he is! What if he found me with you? You're the one who's pathetic, chasing after me all the time!"

"You…you…you conceited little bitch!" he shouted. "He left you! He lied to you, and you and I both know that he never would have come back if it had been so long! I was trying to make you happy, and you couldn't let him go!"

"Let's just end this!" I yelled back. "I meant it when I kissed you, and I meant every bit of it! But I can't do that to Fang, and I'll always love him! Don't make this harder than it needs to be, just leave the flock! Leave, I don't need you!" I sank to my knees and sobbed.

His eyes softened and he bent down to pick me up. I hung limply in his arms. "I know it's normal for him to be hard to forget. He was your first love," he said. "But remember that I'll never do anything like that to you, and he's gone now. Let him come, and let him see that I love you like he never did."

"Don't ever leave me," I whispered quietly," and he descended, pressing his lips to mine. He felt so familiar and open that I pressed harder against him to deepen the kiss, and my arms wound their way helplessly around his shoulders as he rotated me so that I was leaning against the wall of the hallway so that my legs were around his waist. My hands ran through his hair as my mouth moved in sync with his for a while.

I realized somewhere in between all of this that I loved, craved, even, fighting with Dylan. It was indeed as if we were made for each other, and like the person who made him knew exactly what I liked. He went soft and slow, not hard and fast like Fang did. He already knew that I liked the spot in between my wings stroked, and most of all, that he was the only one for me. In that moment, I thought, screw Fang and spend your life with Dylan, Max. And wouldn't that have been a terrific idea?

I knew I was missing the picture. I loved them both too much for my own good, in different ways. I still didn't know which way was stronger. I guess until I figured things out, I would hang on for the ride, and see where I wound up.

I was mildly annoyed as I heard a loud cough behind us, and my heart nearly stopped as I looked up to see a certain dark-haired mutant in front of me.

**How was that? I already know where this is going, but I love the torture. Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N-Alright! This chapter was finished super fast! And I mean, in an hour, fast. When I was tired and on crack. So it's messy, and probably not good at all. I'd still like a review, and the next chapter will be longer and more well thought out! School's out _tomorrow! Woo! _**

**My Girl **

**Chapter 4**

We came up the elevator without sound. The bell on it was broken, so there was no 'ding!' when we got to our floor. Gazzy and I stepped out of the elevator cautiously, just in case Max and Dylan were fighting again. Right after they fought, they would always make out somewhere, like an old married couple in their twenties.

Gazzy was immersed in his Nintendo DS –let's just say that it wasn't necessarily what you'd call 'legally obtained'-, which was turned on silent so that I wouldn't have to hear it. My earphones were hanging loosely in my ears while I blasted some crap about a white girl singing about how her boyfriend left her.

_Shut up, Nudge, you're practically acting like Max._

That's when I saw him, and I almost fainted on the spot. What I had pictured so many countless days and nights for the last half a year or so was standing right in front of me. And in front of him, wrapped in each other's embrace, were Max and Dylan, stuck to each other like glue, unaware that he was even standing there. I watched with sick horror as they continued, and Fang slumped. I didn't want Max to have Fang. But I never wanted this.

Grabbing Gazzy's arm and dragging him along with me, despite his protesting, I pulled him into the boiler room. Just our luck; we were at the perfect angle. We were behind Fang, but not directly, so Max and Dylan wouldn't see us, and Fang certainly wouldn't. Sticking our heads out the tiniest bit to see, we were invisible.

I ripped the iPod from my ears, and switched Gazzy's DS off, not that he noticed. Shutting it soundlessly and folding it in his pocket, he watched intently as Fang coughed rather loudly. Max and Dylan jumped apart hastily and looked up, expecting to see Iggy or Gazzy staring at them.

Max looked like she was about to die. Her face was a mask of fear, pain, and –did I see what I think I saw?- joy. She was afraid of what he'd say, of hurting him, and was afraid of hurting Dylan. At the same time, she looked like she wanted to run into his arms.

Well, shit. Now it got interesting.

I thought Fang would glare, make some shitty speech about how he waited for her and that she was the only one he ever thought, that he had come back to get her, or that he would just simply walk away. I thought wrong.

He lunged at the couple, and Max, instead of jumping up and kicking him in the nuts, or glaring at him with the hostility that would send him running, held her arms in front of her face, expecting that he would just hit her. Max was giving up, almost willingly admitting that she'd been shamefully wrong.

And then, Fang changed his course from straight down the center to lunge at Dylan. With a wild cry, a cry that he put all his rage, pain, shame and hurt in, he grabbed Dylan's shirt collar and threw him against the opposite wall.

* * *

I felt like I was dreaming. It just couldn't have been real. I wasn't prepared for this. I was supposed to have twenty sweet years with the Dylan that I loved, or better yet, Fang might not even have come back, and I could keep kidding myself that he would. We would probably be dead in twenty years, too. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

Fang. I longed to hug him, to hold him, to make sure he was really there. I had dreamed of him coming back for months, and now he was really back. Why did it have to be now, when things were just starting to work out? I didn't even glance at Dylan as Fang grabbed him away from me.

I felt so guilty. I held my face in my hands, and I felt like sobbing with everything I had. I wasn't supposed to betray Fang, ever, but I had, and it had gotten us into this. This had been my fault. I loved them both. But I knew it would be Fang now that it was back. I was bitter as I said good-bye to Dylan in my mind.

My head snapped up as I heard a crack, a sickening, breaking crack, coming from the opposite wall. Dylan was slumping to the ground, but Fang caught him easily and smashed his fist into Dylan's face, stomach and chest. Over and over, I heard Dylan groan, but I couldn't find the willpower to even move. _I _was broken.

I couldn't see the fury in Fang's face; he was completely with his back to me, pounding the shit out of Dylan with his fist. Dylan didn't try to fight, didn't try to do anything, for a moment. When he dropped to the ground, Fang wrenched him back up by his shirt collar and held him there.

"You stay away from her!" he roared. "I was gone for a few fucking months and you move in on her? I'll kill you!" and he slammed him against the wall again.

"Stop," Dylan mumbled lazily, lifting his head. "Just stop, you bastard." His hand came out and punched Fang in the side of his head, sending him spiraling down to the ground. In a flash Dylan had landed on him, pinning him down and punching his nose repeatedly. The blood was spurting out now, but I still couldn't move.

"You little shit!" Dylan hissed, almost strangling Fang. "You _left _her. You left her cold and alone, for me to pick up the pieces, because she wasn't important enough for you. She's not yours once you do that! You can't keep jerking her around!"

Fang lashed out at Dylan and sent him flying off. "I needed to get rid of Itex so that _she didn't have to fight anymore! _So that shitty guys like you wouldn't show up and tell her what to do, who to fight, who to _love. _I did it so that we could be together, and I will _not _let you tear it up for us!" He got up and kicked Dylan down again, kicking him over and over. Dylan swung his leg out and kicked Fang's kneecap back.

Fang fell over with a thud, and Dylan was all over him, kicking and punching and slapping. I heard the crack of Dylan's palm against Fang's cheek, and I finally got up. "Stop it!" I shouted as Dylan jumped on Fang and started throttling him. "Stop it now! Get away from him, and stay away from me! What just happened, that was a mistake, a terrible mistake, and it's your fault! I'm ending it right now! Get off of him!"

Dylan got up, realization sinking in. "Max, you don't have to forgive this jerk-hole. I'm here for you right now, and you don't need him. He left you!"

"I love him!" I shouted, then stepped closer. "Accept it." I wanted to kiss him so badly that it hurt.

Fang stepped up, and put his arm around me. "I love her," he said, finally. "You lose, Dylan."

"I should have known this, too," Dylan said. "You're too weak to give him up, Max. And you always will be."

"Hey, you can't talk to her like that-" Fang said. You can't put words in her mouth-"

"Yes, Fang," hissed Dylan. "For your information, that was your _girlfriend_ making out with _me _just now. Think about that." And he turned and walked away.

I winced as Fang turned to me, but there was only kindness on his bloodied face. "I want you to know that I'm never leaving you again. I'm not believing his lies, and he won't tear us apart. I love you more than anything." I sighed and sank into his embrace.

Little did he know that I would never, never be able to say the same.

* * *

I finally had the girl that I wanted, the girl that I'd been searching for, and had finally found in the least likely of places, kissing the guy I hated, just like I thought she would be. But when I walked her into the hotel room, I saw that my blog was frozen on her computer screen, and I felt secure again.

Almost immediately, she led me into the bathroom, being the leader that she was, and tried to clean me up. Grabbing a washcloth and drenching it in warm water, she wiped the blood from my face and stopped the blood flowing from my nose, covering me with band-aids wherever the cuts were.

In turn, I set her on the sink and wiped the blood that had gotten onto her face. And when she finally looked into my eyes, I leaned forward and kissed her lips. She was hesitant at first, and I figured that it was because, like me, she was having trouble believing that it was real, and that we were together.

At last she responded, her lips moving with mine in a fiery kiss that lasted longer than I can ever remember them lasting before. I tasted bitterness and sorrow, but also hope.

She wrapped her legs around my waist, and I carried her out of the bathroom, kissing down her jaw and falling back on the bed with her. Her fingers knotted in my hair, and I knew I had to stop. We were only freaking sixteen. She pulled back at the same time I did and ran out of the room.

I threw my head back on the pillow and groaned. Even now that I had found her, little was going right. I still had to see the flock.

I heard footsteps coming through the door and looked to see who it was. Nudge came in the door, obviously looking for something from the way she was craning her neck to look around. When her eyes fell on me and took in my wrinkled shirt, tousled hair and flushed expression, her face grew hard.

She turned on her heel and fled.

* * *

I ran as fast as I could from the room, my heart pounding. Despite keeping my face cool and indifferent most of the time, I had snapped. She was still choosing him, and I was losing him. After all the waiting and wishing I had done for him, and after all the cheating she had done on him, I knew that I was going to throw up if I didn't get there. Just now, her lips had been all over him, that whore.

"I love you," I whispered as I ran. I burst through the double doors at the end of the top-floor hallway and onto the roof. Wind whipped around my face and caused my hair to billow in the wind. I walked slowly to the edge of the roof, and then took a few steps back. I took in a huge breath.

I ran as fast as I ever had, as though the Erasers of hell were on my heels. I ran like I had never run before. I ran like I was running to meet Fang. And with no further thought, I launched myself off the roof, without wings.

* * *

Running, running, running. Heart pounding. Feet stomping. I rounded corners, ran down flights of stairs and checked every room I could find. He was nowhere, nowhere in the world, now that I needed him most. What I wished for more than anything was that maybe, just maybe, Fang wouldn't want me anymore, or that Dylan would move on, leaving me free to choose between them. But I just couldn't now.

I sighed with relief, knowing that he was around the next corner even before I looked. Running right into him, I don't know what I was thinking, expecting him to be happy or even cheerful. I had expected someone to cry on, though I might have been that person for him.

His face was hard, and his blonde hair was stained with red. His eyes were darker and more watchful than they usually were, and it scared me. "Why?" he asked deliberately. "What was that kiss, you little liar? If you didn't mean it, why did you do it, you poisonous snake? Luring me in just to make me believe that you loved me? I'm _done. _You can _have _him, and you guys be happy for each other."

I recoiled. "That stung," I whispered.

"No, _that back there stung_!" he yelled. "You lied to him, or you lied to me! I'm sick of these games! If you love someone, you'll never do that to them!"

"Not if you love them _both!_" I yelled. "In the movies and books, the guys are always happy and supportive of the heroine's decision, and the loser is only mildly upset. Well, _my life's not like that. _I'm always going to hurt someone, and I can't pick and choose who to hurt!"

"I think you just did," he hissed, and walked away.

"Dylan, wait!" I screamed.

We stopped as Gazzy poked his head around the corner. It was obvious from the blood on Dylan and the tears on my face that we'd been fighting again, but it was more than that, it was like he'd seen it, from the way he glared with hostility at Dylan. "There's a flock meeting downstairs by the pool, and we need you there," he said evenly.

I shook my head as the tears faded and I brushed past Dylan. I followed Gazzy down the stairs and refused to even make eye contact with Dylan. I didn't make eye contact with any of the others, especially Fang, as I walked into the pool area and took a seat on one of the lounge chairs next to Nudge, who moved away from me subtly.

Dylan took a seat next to Angel, who winced at the truckload of thoughts coming from Dylan, Fang and I. Iggy was hopelessly confused, and didn't appear to be having an easy time of figuring out what was happening.

"Let's get started," Fang offered. Dylan rolled his eyes.

"Now, let's get one thing clear, I'm back for good. And you all know what's been happening while I've been gone. When the flock isn't all together, we all fall apart. So, I'll never leave again, and I know that after this, not one of the original flock will ever leave.

"What do you mean, 'the original flock'?" asked Nudge.

"What an interesting question, Nudge!" Fang said sarcastically. "You all know what's been happening between Dylan and Max. Well, all of you except maybe Iggy. No offense, Ig," he apologized.

"Anyway," he continued, "It's something that shouldn't be done. You don't move in on someone else's girlfriend, to put it bluntly. And it's torn us more apart, and confused Max. I don't think he should stay."

Chaos erupted right then as Dylan leapt on Fang, aiming straight for his neck as his hands came around it and squeezed the life out of him. "I have nothing!" screamed Dylan. "I have _nothing_, no family! Are you so low that you'd steal from someone with nothing, you bastard? I'll kill you! You're the one that left her, left her alone, confused, and she still chose you! Haven't you torn me down enough, you heartless-"

His eyes became blank and round as Angel was able to use her powers to pry Dylan off of Fang. He sat next to her solemnly. "Fang, you're crazy," she said bluntly. "I don't care what he did, Dylan needs us. He has no one else. He's staying, and God, you jerk, if you're talking about sending him away because of some girlfriend argument, you can go straight to hell."

He looked at her blankly.

Gazzy stood up. "Shut your mouth, Angel!" he yelled. "Fang's been with us from the beginning, and it's part of the guy rulebook that you can't steal another guy's girl when he hasn't broken up with her! You're only seven, so shut up!"

Iggy stood up, too. "You all need to shut up and quit fighting! I know what Dylan did was horrible, but as much as you hate it, Fang, they are in love. You could see it in their eyes. So get over each other, you guys. That was two years ago that you 'loved' each other, and it was a teenage young love. Just grow up," he said, sickened.

Nudge looked Fang straight in the eye. "Forget each other. She loves Dylan, and you can tell, but she's still hanging onto you because she doesn't want to hurt your feelings! You thickhead idiot, did you ever think about what I feel? Day after day, all you cared about was that _whore _who's playing around with other guys! Yeah, she's really worth keeping!" she shrieked, and stormed out of the room.

My eyes widened. _Angel, Nudge likes Fang? _

_More than you do,_ she answered.

"Look!" Fang yelled. "If I have to fight all of you, I will, and you know I'll win. But once and for all, we're getting rid of Dylan. It's been long enough. So, right here, right now, I hereby kick Dylan out of the flock."

"No!" I yelled, and he looked at me incredulously. "You mean it's true, what they said? I thought they were just making it up! Do you really not care for me? Did I really come all this way for you to not love me anymore? What was that kiss in the bedroom for, Max?"

"Ooooooooh," said Gazzy. "Kissin' in the bedrooooom…."

"No! I'm just saying, he has nowhere to go! Wait a few weeks, until he can find somewhere where he belongs! It's not like we'll be sleeping in the same room! Don't you trust me at all, Fang?" Now I was making him feel guilty.

"What? No, yeah! I mean, yes!"

"Then give me this," I said with finality.

* * *

After jumping off of building, it had felt nice, until I almost hit the ground. Unfurling my wings at the last minute, I had just barely saved my life. I hadn't been suicidal; I had just wanted to escape. Now, after confessing to Fang, basically, my love for him, I was ready to crawl under a rock and die, now that I knew with certainty that he didn't feel the same way. I felt humiliated, degraded, and worthless. Maybe I should have just not saved myself. Maybe I should be dead.

_Snap out of it, Nudge! He's just a guy! This isn't like you! _

I ran out of the building and down the sidewalk, collapsing on a bench with tearful, breaking, heart-wrenching sobs. I sobbed until I couldn't anymore, until I got weird looks from people and until I felt like such a silly bitch I couldn't stand it. I was so cliché that it was killing me. All I wanted to do was go to sleep and not wake up. I couldn't stand it.

What had Max done for him? Cheat on him? Cry over him until she had found something better? I had loved him for three years, and I wasn't good enough for him? And poor Dylan! Max wasn't even good enough for him, and she had forsaken him completely, I had seen it with my own eyes. She had _lied _to Fang just to have a make-out session. When she was done with him, she'd move on to her next victim.

Oh, God, it hurt so badly, I felt like my heart was ripping right in half, and I wouldn't have cared. It was worse than all the pain I'd ever felt, because there was no cure. There was no stopping it, not even to die. There was no end, not if Fang didn't feel the same way. I slumped down in my seat, into a fetal position.

Maybe it was possible that I could be happy. Maybe it was possible that Fang could be happy and we could live without each other, and we would both forget that this day ever happened. I would live without him and go on to marry someone else, maybe even some worthless trashy guy without wings. I just never knew, and I'd be the one in the flock to do it, too.

Everyone expected me to be a nothing, not like they always expected Max to be great. My eyes closed soundlessly as I drifted off to sleep, thinking only these thoughts, and nothing else.

I heard everything through a flood of words, even though Angel was controlling my mind, I knew it because I felt her presence there. Then, my mind sparked as I heard Max begging Fang to give it a few weeks before I was let go. Maybe, just maybe, she did care about me, and I could still get her. I _would _still get her.

**Don't hate me! So, which side are you on, hmm? The Fax, or the Max and Dylan, which I have dubbed 'Mylan'? I'm sorry if it's not good! Like I said, I'm about to pass out! **

**~Rachel**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N - I'm so sorry I wasn't updating for a while! No more, because I just escaped the dreaded writer's block! I'll be updating my other stories Life of a Winged Teenager, Memories of You, and I'm Here for You soon enough, for anyone who's read them. If you haven't, just enjoy this one and don't forget to leave a review! ;D **

**My Girl **

**Chapter 5**

I groaned as the sun came streaming through the windows, marking the start of another day spent in the same uncomfortable situation. I rolled over on my side to block it out, burying my head into a warm chest. Arms tightened around me, and I bit my lip. As much as I would have liked to believe that Fang could ever be this emotional, I knew it was because Dylan was watching. Again.

It had been almost a week since the fight. The cuts and bruises were fading into an ugly memory that was constantly on our minds, and Dylan and Fang continue to loathe each other. We were still in the hotel. Iggy was happy that Fang was back, but torn and confused as to whose side he was on.

Nudge continued to mope around. She avoided me, and she avoided Fang most of all. She didn't talk to anyone, although I suspected she'd been having mental conversations with Angel, and she was always silent.

Gazzy was with Iggy. He didn't know what to think about the war that was going on, and he desperately tried not to think about it at all. Fang had made it clear that he couldn't be on both sides, so he had chosen to ignore Dylan around Fang. Ultimately, he had chosen his family.

Angel was on my side in the argument. Meaning, she loved them both as her brothers. They had both been kind to her and acted as her brothers, and she wasn't going to pick and choose. I could tell that she was incredibly angry at Fang for suggesting that Dylan should leave. I was, too, but I didn't show it.

Fang had agreed on a few weeks with Dylan until we could find somewhere else to put him. Doctor G-H and Jeb were nowhere to be found, as usual, and my mom certainly couldn't handle another kid. Not to mention that Ella would probably squeal with joy at the opportunity at having a guy with supermodel looks in her house.

I had been avoiding Dylan all the time. I hadn't spoken one word to him, and it was killing me on the inside. I would see him looking at me with a hurt expression stamped on his face, but I'd close my eyes and look the other way. It was embarrassing as hell when Fang tried to prove a point by kissing me in public or whispering things in my ear that made my face turn bright red.

Angel had never wanted the flock to be split up into teams, which was why she had gotten so upset when Fang and I had first become a couple. But now the flock was splitting up into another set of teams, Dylan vs. Fang.

Iggy, Dylan, Angel and Nudge were on one side, as far as I could tell. Some of them had mixed feelings, but I was absolutely sure that they were leaning towards one, if they had to choose. Given the way Nudge had been avoiding Fang and me for so long, at least.

Fang, Gazzy and I were on the other. If you counted Total, I guess he was on our side too. After all, even though it was torturing him to be on a different side than Angel, Fang was his longtime friend, and Total claimed that he was loyal. I didn't know whether to be proud or disappointed.

Now, my life was built on confusion. There wasn't a minute that went by when I wasn't guilty and wondering if I had made the right decision. One minute, when Fang was kissing me and holding me in his arms, I thought I had. The next, when I would see Dylan, alone with no one in the world, I would feel differently.

I heard a dull thud as Iggy was pushed off the opposite bed and onto the floor. My head snapped up from the safety of the covers to see him lying on the ground, twitching. "You snore," Nudge complained irritably. "It's only seven in the morning and you woke me up by _snoring_." She rolled her eyes and her head fell back on the pillow. Angel rubbed her eyes from where she was sleeping on the couch, with Gazzy on the opposite end.

Fang yawned groggily and shot Nudge an amused glance. "Nudge, you wanna tell us why you're in the same bed as Iggy?" Her face turned bright red, and she was clearly mortified.

"I told you that I don't like Iggy!" she huffed, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say she was about to cry. "Everyone thinks that I just have to like him because he's the only other available one! Unlike Max, we're not all lucky enough to get who we _want _to go out with! I just didn't want to sleep on the floor!"

I was stunned. Nudge had never said anything like this, and Fang had only been joking. What was with her lately? She was having mood swings all over the place and confusing us all. This had been going on for a while. She wasn't her usual talkative, cheery self anymore.

"Ugh!" she huffed as she threw the covers off the bed and stalked into the bathroom. "I'm taking a shower!" she yelled. Fang grimaced and sat back on the covers uneasily. He had the same look on his face as he always did when he was trying to figure something out. It made me uneasy for some reason.

"Does this mean I can have the bed now?" Iggy whimpered, obviously trying to lighten the mood, but with a hint of seriousness. I nodded weakly as he peeled himself off the ground and crawled onto the bed, breathing a sigh of relief.

Fang's eyes flew to a sleeping Dylan on the ground, whose joints were probably aching in pain, even in his sleep. The way it had worked out, everyone had gotten a soft place to sleep. Everyone, that is, except Dylan. When Fang put his mind to hating someone, he would make them suffer every little way he could. Starting with me.

"Why do Max and Fang get a separate bed? Neither one of them kicks in their sleep," Gazzy said curiously. Dylan's eyes snapped open, and Fang shot him a smug look. My blood boiled, but I silently counted to ten like I always did, letting it pass.

I had hoped it would pass. But, like I always say –or think, at any rate-, fate's a bitch. I was hoping that Dylan wouldn't take it too seriously, and realize that Fang was just trying to make him angry. I had been so wrong.

"Do you _want _to get your ass kicked, Fang?" Dylan almost shouted.

"As I recall, last time it was _I _who was doing the ass-kicking, and _you _who was having your ass _handed to you. _You could barely land a good punch, and I ended up with hardly a scratch. You think there aren't consequences for manipulating _my freaking lonely girlfriend _to cheat on me?"

That was the first time I saw just how angry he really was at me. I was surprised he had taken it so well, but now I saw that he was just acting. He _was _hurt by my kissing Dylan, and he wanted desperately to convince himself that it was all Dylan's fault. That was why he hated him so much.

"Fang," Iggy said nervously. Fang spun around to face him.

"No, Iggy," Fang growled. "I'm sick of your judgments against me when he's the one who started this whole mess. He claims he's perfect for her, but he's not, and I don't _care _what anyone says. We all know how good _blind guys _are at seeing people's character."

"_All _I can see is your character!" Iggy gave an exasperated sigh. "And right now, you're being an asshole, Fang! You're the one who's blind, you can't even see what's going on here! She's forgotten about you, and she's moved on to Dylan! Let it go!"

Fang hung his head, and I finally found my voice. "You all are talking about me like I'm not here," I began. "I'm sorry to have to admit this, but it's Fang I'm choosing! It's always been Fang, and it always will be!" Once again, it sounded more like I was trying to convince myself the Easter Bunny was real.

Dylan shot me a questioning glance. He could see right through it, just like before. He knew when I was lying and when I was telling the truth, and it took skill. From the way the color was returning to Fang's face, he even believed me. But Dylan just shook his head. "You're kidding yourself, man. She'll stab your back, too, before you know it."

_I already have, _I thought bitterly.

* * *

I could hear everything that was going on in the other room as I stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel off the rack. The noise of the water had helped to block it out, but now it was silent. I heard everything that Max said about choosing Fang, and I felt like I was going to throw up.

She was lying right through her teeth. Did she know how much she meant to both of them? She didn't even realize what she had, and there she was being selfish and taking her time, yanking them around until she had both of them in her clutches.

Dylan wasn't a fighter. As tough and angry as he pretended to be, it was all fueled by his sorrow. He was someone who would give in and do what he was told, not someone who would fight to the last second. That was why Fang would win this one.

Don't get me wrong, he loved her as much as anyone could possibly love anyone else. But I knew as well as Angel did that he wasn't one to go to war for her. Fang would fight to the death for the one he loved, I thought with a pang of jealousy. Once again, I was reminded that his heart belonged to her, and he had no idea that I felt this way about him.

I slipped on my clothes and blow-dried my hair. The noise blocked out everything, and I was relieved that I couldn't hear anything else. After spying on Fang and Max and Dylan with Gazzy, I didn't want to know anything else. I dried my hair and straightened it soon enough, then opened the bathroom door soundlessly.

"She'll stab your back, too, before you know it," Dylan shook his head vehemently as I peeked my head through the crack. Oh, to hell with it. No one had even remembered that I was alive, let alone taking a shower. All heads swiveled toward Fang, waiting for a response. He looked like he was going to have a heart attack.

Max looked as if she was going to die. She kept her eyes on her hands and bit her bottom lip as Fang was still next to her. Slowly, she was losing his trust, because as much as he would have liked to pretend that she _didn't _kiss Dylan right in front of him, it wasn't the truth. Sooner or later, he was going to have to face the fact that she wasn't as in love with him as he had hoped.

I walked into the room then. I'd had enough of going behind their backs and knowing exactly what went on between them. I was sick of seeing Fang send Max secret glances that she pushed away, and I was tired of Dylan's pathetic sadness. I didn't _want _to know anymore. I'd go insane if this love triangle became a love square.

"Don't stop talking on my account," I said coldly when they fell silent. But after that, the conflict was over. Everyone was thinking something having to do with it, but apparently Angel was easier to talk to about things like this than I was. The TV was turned on, and no one spoke or even complained as Angel switched it back to American Idol, cursing when she found out that Crystal hadn't won.

* * *

The next day was a good one. Everyone had temporarily forgotten the argument over me between Fang and Dylan, and it had been nothing but a good time. Even I had been able to smile and have a good time on Nudge and Angel's little sight-seeing tour of the city. Fang told me that he'd already seen it before he'd been able to track me through the internet. I was still suspicious of how he was able to. He was no computer geek.

We were all soaked when the clouds unexpectedly came out and drenched us in water. We were soaked to the bone and were quick to hurry back to the hotel, laughing like crazy at the way Nudge's hair frizzed and how Fang reminded us of a drowned rat, with his hair plastered to his forehead.

Our laughter died on our lips as I opened the door to the room and we stopped dead in our tracks. There, on the edge of the window and just ready to leave, was a young boy, around Angel's age but taller than Gazzy, who met our eyes. He had black hair that flew every which way on his head, with deep blue eyes and a clean, smooth face. He had obviously never fought in his life.

And then his eyes ghosted to the bedspread, and I saw it. It was a folded note, a message of some sort. He had been here delivering it. But he still looked polished, like a rich boy or a girl. This would've been normal, if it wasn't for what he did next.

He dropped backwards out the window, but not before opening his pure white wings and flapping gracefully away. We ran to the window, craning our necks to see him as he disappeared into the clouds with a single backward glance at Angel, who looked at him curiously. She was trying to read his mind. "I got nothing!" she said furiously.

But I wasn't paying attention to that. Because while the flock had been at the window watching Superboy, I had ran to the bed and picked up the piece of paper. If my life was normal, this would have shocked the hell out of me. But because I was Maximum Ride, it only mildly surprised me. "Fang," I whispered.

He was over with Angel, still looking through the clouds for the boy that wasn't there. "Fang!" I said louder, and he turned his head. "I thought you said you took care of Itex. I thought you saved the world." Confusion was stamped on my face as I held up the letter. He read over my shoulder as I scanned it again.

_To Maximum Ride_, it read in bold letters at the top of the letter, scrawled in excellent cursive. So, the enemy had good penmanship. Bravo for them.

_The world isn't as safe as you think it is. Fang took care of most of it, but he wasn't clever enough to clean it all up. You should never have spared my life two years ago. Revenge is a dish best served cold. _

_If you're not confused by now, I didn't give you enough credit, but I somehow doubt that's the case. You have questions and I have the answers. So, how about we end this little game? You can save the world, or it'll fall apart before your eyes. If you chose the first, you'll be on the top of this very hotel at midnight tomorrow. If you chose the second, you better start packing. We'll kill you if you don't come, and you can only run for so long. _

_Galapagos tortoises live a _very _long time, Max. _

_~Marian Janssen _

"This is bad," Gazzy muttered. "We can't spend our life on the run…but if we go, we could end up being killed anyway."

"You think I don't know that?" I hissed. "Of course we're going! Obviously, the world still needs saving, and I know you want a normal childhood, and a chance to settle down, but it'll never be like that for us. We started out with a mission to save the world, and we're going to finish it."

"She survived," Fang muttered. "So she's been in hiding, but she survived, and this time she's _really _serious."

"Oh, so I suppose the first time she captured us and made me think she was my mother was just pretend!" I said impatiently. "If she's powerful enough to change the world, it isn't just her. She's got someone helping her."

We knew what had to be done. The flock had to show up on that roof tomorrow, and the Director knew where we were. If this was our last chance to save the world, then it wasn't over, and I had another chance to be who I was before. Strong, brave, and completely different from how I was now.

And if we didn't show up, she'd kill us, as the letter made perfectly clear. We all had to think this over, and to think of the consequences, should we go and fall into a trap. But if we didn't go, it was over, because she'd proven once before that she was just psychotic enough to take over the world.

I don't know if anyone besides Iggy and Gazzy slept that night. They were just simple-minded enough to be able to sleep. I know I was awake and thinking of the only thing I was concerned with – saving the world. If this was my one chance, I would take it.

I closed my eyes ever time my eyes fluttered over Dylan's, and my stomach flipped in its usual way, which I quickly squelched by glancing back at Fang. Dylan would roll his eyes and turn over so that he wasn't facing me. I winced every time.

Between this and saving the world, I wondered if I'd ever find the kind of happiness that I'd always dreamed about, the calm peace that no one would have ever expected me to want. I didn't want to snarl at Erasers or fight to the death with Max II, but I did. And who would I be with in the end? I had been so sure it was Fang.

The morning came too soon, and I knew I should have slept, to build up some strength in case there was a struggle later. Dread settled on my stomach, and I didn't eat the food that Iggy brought up from the continental breakfast buffet. I just drank some coffee, loaded with sugar, and gave myself enough caffeine to make it through the day.

I wasn't listening when the flock discussed the plans that would come into action if the Director pulled something funny. I zoned out completely when they brought up the subject of what she wanted with us. I had no idea what she was planning, I wouldn't pretend to. For the first time, I wasn't even in the conversation for the game plan.

It lasted the whole day. No TV-watching, no tours of the city, and certainly no fun of any kind. It seemed that yesterday was our last day as normal people, almost humans. In a matter of hours, I would be able to use my wings again. Would it be for the last time? We'd been through too much for me to lose to the Director. But she was right. I should have let her fall to her death. I guess I'm just a people person.

Towards the end of the day, I stopped being anxious and went into leader mode, just like old times. "You know she's not gonna show up alone. It'd be too easy for us to grab her and throw her off the building. She's gonna have lots of people with her. If they try anything funny, it's U&A, and we're on the run." I got nods all around.

"Say, who was that little boy?" Gazzy asked. "You know, the one who delivered that note? He looked almost like Fang, except skinnier and with blue eyes." He was silenced when Fang eyed him skeptically.

"You think everyone with black hair looks like me! He and I look nothing alike. His face and eyes are the wrong shape, and we have different noses. I'm normal, and he's skinny as a twig. And he's probably _just _their delivery boy."

"But he had _wings_," Nudge rolled her eyes. "Delivery boys don't have wings." We all sat, dumbfounded. How could we have forgotten the wings? At the time, the note was more important than Wonderboy, but now that we thought of it, the flock were the only ones on the planet with wings. Dylan alone had surprised the hell out of us.

Long into the night, there was no explanation for it. Just when I gave it up, the alarm clock on the table next to me beeped noisily. It was five minutes until midnight. It was time for us to go.

Iggy rolled off the couch where he had been sleeping and Gazzy pulled his shoes on. In a minute we were riding up the elevator to the top floor, where we'd meet our doom any second. I was hardly nervous. Nervous was being trapped on a boat with Doctor Stupendous. Nervous was being captured by Ter Borcht. This wasn't nervous.

When we ran to the end of the hall and onto the rooftop, there she was, Marian Janssen, standing right before us. Even in the darkness, I could see her. Next to her, there was a small figure, or, halfway past her elbow. Straining my eyes, I could see the same little boy that had been in our apartment yesterday.

"You came." She sounded surprised, like she didn't expect us to be there. Did we even have a choice?

What we weren't prepared for was another surprise. Our eyes widened when Dr. Gunther-Hagen stepped out from behind her. Dylan's eyes narrowed. I was sure it wasn't easy to see the person who created you and acted as your father on the side of the enemy, even though he didn't know the Director and her history.

"That's right," she raised an eyebrow. "Did you think I could destroy the world without a brain behind this?"

"So, he does the work and you get the spotlight?" Iggy offered. Her eyebrows furrowed. _God, Iggy, don't tick her off. We're talking about the woman who pretended to be my mother. She's psychotic enough to kill us all. _

And as it turns out, the surprises kept coming. Out of nowhere, dark figures appeared and lunged for us. Clothed entirely in black, they offered jabs at our pressure points. Iggy was the first to go down, followed by Gazzy and then Nudge. Angel tried desperately to get in their heads, but they were too much for her as they karate chopped her swiftly in the neck.

Fang, Dylan and I backed against each other. They were coming closer, the Director and Dr. G-H smiling broadly while the boy stood and watched, expressionless. Fang kicked the first one to advance in the stomach, sending him flying back into the others, knocking two more down.

Dylan punched one squarely in the face, blood coming through the cloth and staining it even darker with the red as he or she fell over in a pile of limbs. I lunged at two, bashing their heads together just hard enough to knock them unconscious. Hell erupted around us as they tried to fight back, and I was punching and kicking and clawing.

"Fall back!" Fang yelled, and I knew he was right. "We'll save the others, but we've got to save ourselves now!" I knew what he was asking. He wanted me to leave them. But he was right; it was the only way to free ourselves. We could come back to them.

I whipped my wings out, hitting two of our attackers and knocking them over. I threw myself into the air, flapping desperately. Fang and Dylan followed suit, but it was hard to get up without a running start. Suddenly, a rope shot out and caught my foot, pulling me back. I struggled further, trying to pull myself free.

Three nets were tossed, and to my horror, one caught on me. But by then, I was twenty feet in the air. I was pulled to the ground, and I felt a dull throbbing in my whole body before my mind went completely blank.

**How was it? :D And YOU thought the whole story would be Max whining over Dylan vs. Fang! D: Please. I'd sooner eat left arm. **

**~Rachel**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N - This chapter...there's something big, probably something you wouldn't expect. Thank you so much to the new people who've been reviewing the story, as well to the old reviewers who I hope continue. Key that you leave a review this chapter! You'll see why ;D **

**My Girl **

**Chapter 6**

My world exploded as our attackers lunged at Max, Dylan and I. To my horror and before my very eyes, the people I loved were taken down. Iggy tried to fight, and managed to knock one down before they grabbed him out of nowhere. He was the first to go. He had tried and he was strong, but he was blind. He was in an unfamiliar environment, so it was only natural that he would go down first.

Gazzy put up a decent struggle, kicking one to the ground and punching two in the face, but he was overpowered by a sea of the attackers surging down upon him. He struggled to breathe and then disappeared under as his pressure point was hit and he collapsed, unconscious. Angel caused a brawl by turning one against the other and starting a bloody riot, but was snuck up on and then struck with a sleeping dart followed by a quick karate chop to the back of her neck.

By the time I looked to see Nudge, she was already unconscious, being carried away with Gazzy, Angel and Iggy. My heart lurched as I saw her closed eyes and peaceful expression, knowing she had fought as best she could before they had gotten to her. I was so caught up in watching her being carted away that I barely noticed that I had backed up into a circle with Max and Dylan.

The Director and Doctor Gunther-Hagen were smiling smugly, and I wanted to punch those smiles straight off their faces. As for that boy with them, I'll tell you right now he was nothing like me. He was just letting it all happen, not caring one bit that they were evil and ready to kill us. He had a glazed look in his eye, and I wanted to punch him down, too.

I sent the first one who came at me careening back with a smooth kick to the stomach, sending him flying back into two others, all three of them collapsing with satisfaction. I saw Dylan out of the corner of my eye, punching one back, and I saw Max, smashing two heads together. But I knew that we couldn't take them all. There were even more waiting for us, and they were swarming on us.

I found myself being attacked by fifty of them, and I was ready to go under. "Fall back!" I struggled to yell. "We'll save the others, but we have to save ourselves now!" I saw Max's look of comprehension as she realized that I wanted to leave the flock and come back for them. It wasn't an easy decision, but Max and Dylan both knew I was right.

Our wings snapped out, each hitting two or three people and knocking them back. I flapped a little to gain space, and launched myself into the air. This was something that Max hadn't done. She clawed her way to the top and jumped, but Dylan and I had gained running space. We ran and jumped, soaring a good fifty feet above Max.

We were too far away for them to get us, but Max wasn't. Still down around ten feet from the ground and struggling desperately to gain altitude, she didn't make it far before a rope was thrown by an attacker, wrapping around her ankle and dragging her back to earth. She struggled farther to rid herself of it, but she was going down fast.

Three nets were shot out of a cannon, aiming for Max, Dylan and myself. I dodged mine neatly, letting it glide past me easily. Dylan's snagged on his shoulder, but he brushed it off before anything could drag him down. The bastard. But it was Max who couldn't escape. It wrapped around her, suffocating her and dragging her down. The last thing I saw of her was her signaling us to go as she was dragged with a thud to the pavement.

I looked at Dylan, and my heart sank. She wanted us to take off without her and then find her later. I was about to be stranded with him, alone in the wilderness as we would try to find them. This wasn't going to be good, I thought, as I rolled my eyes and led the way to shelter without a backward glance. He followed me all the same.

* * *

I blinked groggily as I opened my eyes. I ached all over and I could feel a black eye starting to form. Bruises and scratches were all up and down my arms, but that was to be expected. My hair was tangled and singed, and I felt like hell. I was parched and starving.

I knew I was chained to the wall before I even looked up. Being chained was even worse than being in a dog crate; when you were in a dog crate you could sit down and sleep. When you were chained, your legs cramped from standing up and your wrists ached from the shackles.

When I did look up, I was in a small stone room with a single light hanging from the ceiling. Flies buzzed around it, and in front of me, there was a single iron door with a small window in it. The window was covered with bars.

I scanned the room for my flock, for the boys and Gazzy and Angel, but the only other person in the room was Nudge. All the same, I was happy to see her, and managed to smile a little at her. She was still out cold, though.

But where were Gazzy and Angel? Where was Iggy? Most importantly, where were Fang and Dylan? I had motioned for them to escape, and I thought they had. But what if they had been captured too? Here in this small room, the only person I knew was safe was Nudging, and she had been hostile and angry around me for weeks.

My questions were all about to be answered. The door slid open to reveal Marian Janssen herself, and I recoiled in shock. I had no desire to ever see her again, and seeing her now brought back a flood of bad memories. Nevertheless, she stood in front of me expectantly. "I'm going to release you now so we can talk. Don't even try escaping or killing me, because I have Iggy, Gazzy, and Angel."

She freed me from my shackles, and led me to a small table in the center of the room. I grabbed a chair, and sank back into it, even though it was cold and hard like stone. "Fang and Dylan escaped," she said, reading my thoughts. "Doctor Gunther-Hagen didn't want Dylan harmed, and Fang was too close."

I breathed a sigh of relief. So they had gotten away, and they would come to rescue us. But then again, there were more pressing matters. Like why the Director had shown up now after almost two years, and what her plan was for world domination or whatever the heck she was planning.

"Max, you're probably wondering why you're here, why you've been captured and why I've come back from hiding. Well, I don't really have a problem telling you, because all hopes you have of escaping here might as well be crushed. You're not in the School. You're in a maximum security prison designed especially for mutants like you in Venezuela."

I gaped. Venezuela?

"Doctor Gunther-Hagen and I have sort of teamed up together for two reasons. One reason is that he wants to do another experiment on the flock. It involves Gazzy and Angel this time, and it'll be made clear to you in time. The second reason, I'm sure you know, is to take over the world."

"What does he get out of it?" I asked suspiciously.

"My assassins got you here; he gets to experiment on you. And in return, he's given me the means to take over, not destroy, the world. We're working on a formula right now that, once released into the atmosphere, will eliminate the weak or the unfit to live, and leave the strong alive. Strong parents will make strong children."

"But what's the point?"

"Once everyone is as they should be, there's an element in the formula that will make every one of those people obedient to me. I'm willing to let us start over, to create the world as it should have been, with the strongest and most fit to live. I'm saving the world, not destroying it."

"You're off your nut!" I cried. "You're…you're insane! That's not saving the world, that's killing millions of people and taking away free will! You're willing to kill children, parents, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters just to get what you want?"

"Who's going to stop me?" she challenged. "But what's better, Max, darling, is if you join me now, there's a place in the new world for you and your flock. We've already been experimenting on other children with wings to see how well adapted they are to live, and you all fit the bill. Join us now, and you can live instead of survive."

"Thanks, but no thanks," I snarled. "It's not really living if you have to live under a psychopathic, controlling freak. And by you, I mean me." I stood up at the table. "If our mission is to save _the world, _you can bet we'll save ourselves from this place." I believed in Fang and Dylan.

Oh, God. Fang and Dylan, alone together working to save us. What would happen? Would we be saved at all?

In answer to my question, the Director answered, "Fang and Dylan? That's only another experiment of Dr. Gunther-Hagen. We're both convinced that their differences and 'love' for you will render them incapable of any real progress."

That was it. 'Love'? That was the straw that broke the freaking camel's back. And let me tell you, that was one tired, tired camel that had just carried way too many straws. My fist snapped out automatically and smashed into her nose, smashing it to the right. I knew I had broken it before she screamed.

They had two guards come in and drag me away from her, even though I made no move to strike her again. They dragged me back to the wall and chained me up, but that didn't even wake Nudge up. She really was a heavy sleeper.

She and the guards filed out of the room. "According to Dr. Gunther-Hagen, I can't hurt you physically at all. I can't starve you, and I have to feed you. But I can keep you locked in here _with her._"

"Why should _she _bother me? She's my sister."

"Sometimes people change, Max." She smiled wickedly and walked out the door.

An hour later, I heard her murmur Fang's name in her sleep.

* * *

Two hours and I had finally managed to make a campfire. If that jerk had helped me, we might have been able to save Max and the others. He was supposed to be her boyfriend. So why didn't he care enough to speed things up? I tossed a match on and watched it start to burn. Fishing in my backpack, I found a box of crackers.

"What are you even doing over there?" I glanced at him. "You've been on that thing for almost two hours, Fang. I'm starting to think you were just playing solitaire." When he looked up, there were dark circles under his eyes. He looked beat, but I didn't like him any better.

"You idiot. I'm trying to track Max and the others. And before you can say anything, I meant through the blog. People read this in ever country at any hour. It's a long process, but it's really all we have. So please, for the love of God, let me concentrate."

I shrugged and went back to eating. A few minutes later, he actually smiled. Well, it wasn't like he was going to jump for joy. "I found them," he informed me. "Not their exact location, but they're somewhere in or around Venezuela. Some kid saw them fly overhead in a plane, and a few others backed him up."

"We're not going to Venezuela tonight," I rolled my eyes. "It's too far, it's too dark and it's been a rough day."

"We need to save Max," his voice was hard.

"Look, I love Max a whole hell of a lot, too, but we're never going to find her tonight." I was starting to get impatient. What made him the leader all of a sudden? Max was missing, not dead. We were equal.

I received a swift punch in the face and felt blood erupt from my nose. I glared up at him, and in a flash, he was on top of me, punching me and beating me to a pulp once again. Last time, I had let him do it. But now, Max wasn't here. I could hurt him as much as I wanted now.

So I brought my knee up to his stomach hard and rolled over so it was me who was punching the living crap out of him. I punched him one, two, three times in the face, and heard his nose crack. In a moment he flipped me over and slammed me against a tree trunk, tree bark scraping against my face.

I whirled on him and kicked him back, sending him flying only a foot from the campfire. If only I hadn't missed. I kicked him twice when he was down before he got back up and pushed me to the ground, then he was leaning over my struggling form, a bloody mess.

"Don't you understand?" he growled. "I have nothing. Max is the only person I've ever loved and now she's slipping away from me. You're not even supposed to be alive, by nature, and I don't want you anywhere near the flock. You can have anyone but her. Stay away from Max."

I threw him off me and glared at him. "I love her, too," I whispered.

In one fluid motion, he grabbed my shirt collar and threw me against the same tree. "Then the race is on," he challenged, "to see who can save the flock first."

He grabbed his backpack and walked through the trees, vanishing into the fog. He didn't come back.

* * *

When I finally woke up, everything was a blur. I didn't know where the rest of the flock was, and I didn't know if anyone had escaped, or who else besides Gazzy and Iggy had been taken down. I couldn't pick up on any thoughts, either. Everything was buzzing around so fast that it was a whir, including my vision and my stomach.

It cleared up a bit, and I saw where I was. I was in a cage, but at least it was slightly bigger than last time. I could see Gazzy in the crate next to me, and he was awake and alert. How long had I been asleep? I had a massive headache and my stomach was churning. I was so hungry that I was ready to die.

I held myself in a fetal position for a few minutes as Gazzy reached his fingers through his cage and touched my shoulder. I gotta tell you, it wasn't a whole lot of comfort, but it was better than nothing. Five minutes later, most of the headache and stomachache had cleared up, and I could sit up again.

We weren't in the School, that was for sure. In the School, there were rows and rows in a whole warehouse full of dog crates, and there were other mutants. Where I was now was a storage area with only two cages, one for me and one for Gazzy. It was so dark that I had to resort to relying mostly on raptor-vision to see much of anything.

My head snapped around as the door to the storage area opened, and I braced myself for whitecoats with needles and blood tests and all sorts of equipment for us to run on and then pass out. Well, I was two years older now than I had been when I had been kidnapped by Ari. If they thought that I would give in, they had another thing coming.

But no whitecoats came. Into the room marched two…kids? Yeah, they were definitely kids. I couldn't make out any of their features, but there was a small one and a tall one, and they were coming toward us. With a start, the tall one clapped, and the lights came on. I almost jumped out of my seat when I saw that dark-haired, blue-eyed boy with the white wings in front of me.

On his right was a young and scrawny girl, about a head taller and looking like she might be a year or two older than Gazzy. She had the same dark hair, but it was up in a high ponytail, and she had large glasses that stuck out on her face. She had the same blue eyes and same high forehead, but her hair was smooth and not shaggy.

Wonderboy had white, glossy wings that stretched as far as mine did, but he was taller, so his wings were still on the chicken side. Wondergirl had jet-black, gangly wings that still managed to work with her.

Wonderboy was –and I hated to admit this, because he was the enemy- awfully cute. He had a small cowlick in the back and his eyes were adorable. He smirked then, and my heart stopped, but he looked away quickly. The girl next to him, probably related, wasn't bad either, if only she would lose the glasses.

Wonderboy was good at maintaining a clueless expression, whereas Wondergirl was having a time of it hiding the fact that she was brilliant. I couldn't hear his thoughts, but I could hear hers, and she was Albert Einstein-geeky-brilliant. Maybe that was why she was carrying a clipboard.

Gazzy was the first to speak. "Who are you?" he demanded. The girl flashed him a smug smile, taunting him, and I didn't have to see the blush on his cheeks to know what he was thinking about her. He eyed Wonderboy distastefully.

"Well, Gazzy," she smirked, "_We _are here for _you_. Doctor Gunther-Hagen sent us to inform you about some of the…details of you being here." She sure didn't talk like she was ten. She seemed like she was Gunther-Hagen himself. "Just relax and sit back and this will go as smoothly as possibly.

"Now, let's start with introductions," she began. "We know you're Gazzy, and you're Angel. This little dork is Zander," she pointed at Wonderboy, "and I'm Zera. We're siblings. I'll cut right to the chase…we are the two youngest members of the Anti-Flock."

"The Anti-Flock?" Gazzy asked sharply. "What the hell is that, like antibacterial soap? Yeah, I'm sure you guys are just that harmless."

"Oh, the monkey's capable of competent speech," she quipped. "No. The Anti-Flock is, in short, a whole new flock of bird kids. You know one of us already. Dylan, I believe, is with you, though he's chosen to betray us."

"Why didn't he tell us?" I asked. I felt small and weak when Wonderboy's eyes traveled to me.

"He doesn't remember," he answered. "He doesn't want to remember."

"Right," Zera continued. "Basically, the Anti-Flock is a group of bird kids created by Doctor Gunther-Hagen as 'perfect matches' to the real flock. Dylan is Max's. As you may have guessed, Angel, Zander is yours, and I'm Gazzy's." Gazzy reddened even more significantly.

"But it gets better," her eyes gleamed. "Fourteen years ago, when Fang was only two, Doctor Gunther-Hagen created _his _'perfect match', and it wasn't Max. You see, the original flocks were each only supposed to have five members. But one of our own escaped because of Jeb Bachelder, and made it into your flock. I believe you know her as 'Nudge'."

I gasped. Nudge was Fang's perfect match, and on top of that, part of the Anti-Flock? Jeb had rescued her with us, but she was really one of them? I absolutely couldn't believe it. "It's true," Wonderboy piped up. "Max, Fang, Iggy, Gazzy and you have matches. Nudge doesn't have one because it's Fang. Iggy's probably meeting his 'match' right now. She's our older sister."

"In addition," Zera continued, "We all have powers similar to that of our 'match'. Max can fly at super speed, and Dylan can teleport. Nudge and Fang both have mental powers – Fang can blend in with his surroundings by becoming mentally tuned into them, and Nudge can feel memories. Angel, you read minds, and Zander can read a person's body language especially well to know what they're feeling inside, even in their sleep."

"What about you?" Gazzy asked. "I don't have any real abilities."

"You have gastrointestinal…problems," she smirked. "You use your ability to clear a room. I do almost the same thing…" she almost seemed embarrassed, and I smirked myself as I found out why. "I burp," she announced. Gazzy fell over laughing.

"Look," I snapped, my face flushing as I thought of Max and Dylan, "I won't be set up at only eight years old with anyone for the rest of my life. Doctor G-H can go shove it."

"It's not like that," she raised an eyebrow. "Dylan was never supposed to fall in love with Max, but he did, and Doctor Gunther-Hagen went with it. Nudge was an accident, she grew up with you. But Iggy's match, Zander and myself are here strictly for the Director's experiment."

"What experiment?" I asked curiously.

"Let's just say we'll be competing against one another. Us, the new mutants, against you, the old. If you lose, you'll be eliminated, and if you win, you'll be set free." She said it evenly and calmly, but she seemed troubled by something. I knew she was shielding her thoughts, even Wonderboy was looking at her weird.

"Zander," he scowled at me. For the millionth time, I blushed scarlet and turned away.

"We'll be seeing you again tomorrow," Zera finished before walking out of the room. The lights flickered off behind her, and I was in darkness once again.

* * *

I was alone. I was cold, tired, and hungry, and all I knew was that I was in a room with walls made of stone. As if it wasn't bad enough being blind, I had no idea where the rest of the flock was or what that insane woman had in store for us. I was left stumbling around a room; they hadn't even bothered to chain the blind guy up. The door was locked, even if I couldn't find it.

Hours after those cretins had locked me in there, I was beginning to lose hope for food and water, let alone anyone coming to save me. But I heard the door slowly open, and I glared down at my feet, because I didn't want to look like an idiot staring in the wrong direction.

All of a sudden, in the back of my mind, I saw a picture of the most beautiful girl I've ever not seen. She had dark eyes and long eyelashes, with long flowing black hair that stopped at her shoulders. She was slender but not terribly skinny, and she was standing right in front of me. Most importantly, she had long, grey and white speckled wings. But how did I know?

"Who…who are you?"

_Talking out loud won't be necessary, Iggy. I can hear you perfectly fine in my head._

"Gaah! Why are you in my head? What's going on?"

_All you need to know is that my name's Zarra, and I'm your 'perfect other half' like Dylan is to Max. I'm part of a team of 'other halves', one for every flock member except for Nudge, she's Fang's, called the Anti-Flock. Every 'other half' has a special connection with their other person, and I can hear your thoughts. _

"I think I've got it," I said as she gave an exasperated sigh, "and I'd prefer to talk out loud."

_I can't hear you, _she thought at me. _We share a connection because you're blind, and I'm deaf. But the connection isn't affectionate at all. It's to test your ability against mine. Each Anti-Flock member will test against every flock member to see who the 'better generation' is. Be prepared to fight against me, Iggy. _

I heard a door slam, and I knew she was gone. There was someone who could read my thoughts other than Angel. I had gotten it all, but I was horribly confused. She didn't love me like Dylan loved Max, but I already kind of liked her. She was kind of mysterious.

But then I remembered that she was my prison warden, the one that could help me but wouldn't. I couldn't 'talk' to her again, and I couldn't, wouldn't let her earn my trust.

**Alright. I added some OC's, a whole different flock, which we find out Nudge and Dylan are part of. Tell me what you think about Zarra, Zera and Zander. Pronounce their names like they sound. Tell me what you think of them, please. Some people, for example, really hate OC's. I happen to like Zera the most ^^ **

**~Rachel**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N - Delayed this one a bit to update my other story twice in a row heh heh... Let me know if the POV switching in this chapter gets too complicated -although I don't think it will, I drop plenty of clues-. **

I woke up on the floor of my cage, knowing with a sickening sense of dread exactly where I was. I was still in the storage area, with no light, no food and no water. My stomach rumbled, and I craved one of Iggy's chocolate chip pancakes. But I didn't even know where Iggy was.

Gazzy was still asleep in his cage, his arms folded under his head in a makeshift pillow. "Zander" and "Zera" hadn't been back in, and I doubted if they would ever come back in. We had however long it was until this "showdown", and then we'd have to face off against each other.

And to be honest, I didn't know if I would win. I was equal to him in every way, but he was the newer model, and just like the cars, he was bound to be better/more efficient and all that. It also wouldn't be a fair contest between Gazzy and Zera, because she was at least two years older than him.

"You're right to worry," came a voice behind me. I jumped a foot off the cage floor and swiveled around, only to see Zander right in front of me. His back was to me, but I could easily see that it was him. "Of course it's me," he turned around and studied my expression. "I'm not even supposed to be here, you know."

"Then why are you here?" I asked incredulously. "I don't suppose you could ever just do the right thing and let us go?"

"I can't," he answered expressionlessly. This kid was practically a miniature Fang. "I work for the Director and Doctor Gunther-Hagen now. Her plan is already being put into effect across the world. I have to beat you if I want to stay alive in the new world they're creating. I won't lose to you."

"You're on," I snarled, and I surprised myself by how much I sounded like Max. "I'll beat you at your own game, _Wonderboy. _I promise that I'll personally kick your butt at whatever they have us do."

"Just try," he sneered.

My fists clenched in fury. "Listen, brat," I hissed, grabbing his shirt collar and dragging him dangerously close, "You ever seen an Eraser gnashing its fangs at you? You ever seen a pizza explode because there was a bomb? No? Well, I have. You're the toddler and I'm the senior citizen who's seen it all. So listen to me. You'll never win, as long as I'm alive."

"That's easy to fix," he whispered before releasing himself from my grasp and disappearing from the room.

* * *

I was heading south now, according to my internet map. So far, the blog hadn't been much help. I knew that by now, I was somewhere in northern Mexico, but I couldn't locate the flock as well as I had bragged to Dylan. At least I knew I was ahead of him. That dipstick was probably still back in the States.

I wasn't close enough for Angel to send me any mental messages, not like she even knew where I was or what I was doing. For all she knew, I'd been captured, too. I just didn't know.

As much as I hated to admit it, hunting for the flock was boring, painful and a dead end when searching alone. Dylan and I were now in a race to see who could get the flock first, but it was going slowly. At this rate, the world would be destroyed before I even got to Venezuela.

I sighed and dug out my cell phone. I dialed Mike's number. If anyone could help me locate the flock, I knew he could. It rang twice before he picked it up. "Yellow?" I sighed and rubbed my forehead. "Dude, don't do that. It's 'Hello'."

"Picky, picky," he mused. "So, Fang, what can I do you for? Anyone you need finding, any hacking you need me to do, need a public service announcement? Hey, if you want a skywriter for this Max, it'll cost you something."

"Dude, what? No, no. I need you to help me find the flock again. Long story short, they kind of got kidnapped and I'm hunting them down as quickly as I can. I think they're somewhere in Venezuela. Can you help me or not?" I asked irritably.

"Not," he replied matter-of-factly. "I can only track people within the states. I'm sorry, Fang. If you need to track _plastic surgeons_ in Venezuela, I can do that for you. Otherwise, you're on your own." He hung up, and my last option in the world was gone.

Suddenly, a dark helicopter appeared in the sky, coming from the direction that I had originally intended on going. Something about the mysterious aura and the black paint told me that I shouldn't be seen. I can't explain it, I just had a really bad feeling about it. So I flew down to hide in the trees.

I tucked my wings in, letting myself fall to the earth, then fluttered into the trees until I was well-hidden, but could still see. The helicopter passed me by, heading in the way of a town that I'd just come from. When it passed me, I followed it, despite my inner thoughts nagging at me that I didn't have that kind of time to be wasting.

Flying steadily and slowly behind the helicopter, I saw it losing altitude as it neared the town, but it made no move to land. Instead, nozzles opened on the side, spewing some kind of gas as it flew by, getting closer and closer to the town. First rule of being a birdkid – don't get near the gas, whatever you do. You don't know what it is.

I flew safely out of the way, maneuvering around trees so that it didn't come near me. The helicopter flew past, continuing its gas-spewing. The gas was hanging like a cloud over the village, a commotion erupting. Screams and wild cries erupted as I flew closer, trying to see what was going on.

I held my breath, knowing that I could do so for a minute or so, long enough to give me a peek of what was happening. And it was not good. Down in the village, the gas was doing something to the people. The iris of the eyes turned black, and every person who breathed it in immediately stopped struggling.

The people weren't suffering physically - there was a mental battle going on that no one else could see. They couldn't escape, and were forced to breathe it in. Every single one of them fell victim to the gas, and all went through the transformation.

But what did the gas do? That was something that I'd have to find out later. I had to get out of the gas before it was me, too, and Dylan was the only one who could rescue the flock. I flapped desperately and tried to turn myself around, speeding at last out of the gas zone. It was killing me, but I didn't breathe again until I was a mile away.

I didn't notice the black helicopter turn itself around and come after me.

* * *

Three days. It had been three stinking days since they had captured us and held us here, and I was going crazy being chained to a wall with Nudge, who, by the way, had barely spoken to me. They hadn't fed us, and they had offered us a small sip of water once during our stay on planet Psycho.

But that wasn't the worst of it. To top it all off, Angel had sent me a message this morning when she had finally located me. She told me everything – everything about Zander and Zera, everything she picked up about Iggy's match, wherever she was, the whole Anti-flock, and how Dylan was one of them, unknowing.

That wasn't what snapped my heart in half and stomped on it. She also told me that Nudge wasn't part of our flock. She was part of the Anti-flock, and not just any part. She just so happened to be Fang's match.

I knew that the matches didn't have to be in love with each other, but this explained so much. It explained why she had looked away when Fang and I kissed, why she had always been shy around him, and why Angel had even told me she liked Fang.

At the time, I hadn't listened to Angel, praying that it just couldn't be, and that she'd get over him, because he was with me. I was so wrong. At least I had nothing to compete against. Fang would always belong to me. Yeah, right. I tried to tell myself that, but because of Dylan, he was slipping away from me.

"Nudge," I whispered, trying to wake her up. I had to talk to her now, find out if all of this was real or if it was simply my overactive imagination. "Nudge!" I yelled, and she blinked slowly. "Max?" she asked sleepily. "Wha's goin' on?"

"I have something I need to talk to you about," I began, "and I want the honest truth, Nudge."

She shrugged. "Sure. Anything."

"Nudge, Angel gave me a mental message about a new kind of flock that's trying to replace us, called the Anti-flock. Basically, everyone from this flock has a match in the Anti-flock. Mine is Dylan…and you're Fang's."

"What's your point?" she asked.

"Do you like Fang or not?" I blurted. But now that it was out, there was no going back. "Because I hate to break it to you, but he's my boyfriend, and he'd never go for you, anyway."

Her jaw dropped. "And why the hell not? Because I'm black? Because I'm too young? Fang isn't that kind of person. The only reason he'd hold back would be you, you whore, going around with Dylan and then acting like nothing happened. You're the one who doesn't deserve him!"

"Excuse me?" It was my turn to gape. "You can't just insult me like that! You little boyfriend-stealing creep! Go get a boyfriend that doesn't already belong to someone else!"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Come on, Max, you don't own him. And I didn't steal anything, I just like him, okay? If you really want Fang, then I suppose you wouldn't get angry if I told you that I could get together with Dylan?" Oh, she was evil.

I swallowed a lump in my throat. "No, Dylan isn't even with me anymore. I was wrong. I don't love him. You can have him."

This was wrong. She was my sister, the same Nudge who had escaped from the School with me, who had actually taught me about makeup and who I knew hated orange and liked anything and everything pink. Now, was she turning against me for good?

She smirked at me, and I hated it. I could feel myself lying, but I didn't care. Who did I love, and would it make a difference, if I was to die here anyway?

* * *

"And I make a left here, and I go north here….north? Wait, that's not right…" I fiddled with the map, finally turning it upside down. "There it is! Venezuela. So glad I picked this year to learn the ABC's…" I turned myself around and started speeding towards Venezuela.

To be fair, that wasn't the best way to begin the mission/race to see who could rescue the flock first. At this rate, Fang would be the winner. …Not that winning mattered or anything. What mattered was to protect the flock and save them from Dr. Crazy, who just happened to play my father figure for a while. No big deal or anything.

It was faster just teleporting as far ahead as I could go. The thing was, I wasn't exactly sure where in Venezuela, so I'd probably end up teleporting to a place nowhere near where the flock was. It was better to go the slow way that Fang was, at least for now.

As I got closer every minute, I started to see a thick haze hanging over the trees. There was a village nearby, I had seen on the map, and I had planned on stopping for water and supplies –which we hadn't exactly brought when the Director had come to capture us-. But now, it looked as if the fog centered around the village.

And maybe they were having a barbeque or the fourth of July party or whatever. But I highly doubted it. I took a deep breath and teleported down into the center of the village.

It was terrible. There were people, and they were alive, but the town looked like it was in ruins. The people had gone ballistic and panicked at first, that much was clear from the burning buildings and all the wreckage. Then, something terrible had happened, I could feel it.

Out of the shadows, more people than I thought even originally lived in the town started crawling towards me. Their eyes were zombie-like, without souls. They dragged themselves over to me, crawling, or slumping over, like a marionette. I was backed into the center by them, and I was unable to breathe.

I had to find out what was going on here, even if it meant not being able to breathe. Maybe this was related to the Director and Dr. G-H in some way, maybe not. Either way, there was a nagging feeling that I had to know. So I let them crawl over to me, as slowly as it was, when I heard the sound of a helicopter approaching.

Another second and I was gone. I had teleported safely behind the trees out of the haze, perching at the top, hiding in wait for the helicopter. Dangling from a rope attached to the helicopter was…Fang?

Someone came out of the helicopter and started to reel him in, dragging his unconscious body into the helicopter and then landing in the center of the haze. They definitely had something to do with this. Helicopters weren't just that dark.

I teleported closer to the haze, holding my breath as the first of it reached me. I covered my mouth and nose, leaning closer to hear as three or four men got out of the helicopter, followed by Dr. G-H and the Director, confirming my fears.

"Halt," the Director commanded, and the villagers stopped altogether. "Stand up," she commanded, and they did. "Excellent," she marveled. "They're completely under my control. This is just what I'd hoped for. Leave them all here and spread the formula to other villages and major cities, starting in the U.S."

Fang was thrown out of the helicopter, and his eyelids opened. When he looked up and saw the Director, his face was stamped with fury and he struggled to be free of his bindings. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get free. Had he inhaled the gas, too?

"Fang, be still," she ordered, and he was.

She was escorted back into the helicopter, and it took off. I was expecting that when she was gone, everything would be back to normal, and the people would have free will. I was so wrong.

There was obviously a glitch in the formula. All the people remained standing, and Fang was frozen. His eyes were open, and they couldn't even move. When she told him to be still…he had to really be still. Which meant that his heart couldn't beat. And the villagers were forced to halt, which meant that their hearts could beat, but they couldn't move to eat, drink or sleep. They were stuck.

"No, no, no, _no_!" I yelled, and looked around for anything to help them, but I couldn't help them now. At least it was only a small village, but there were people here, mothers and fathers and children. They had people to love, and they were humans with souls. They wouldn't die quickly. They would suffer.

But I had to save Fang. I had to do something for Fang. Maybe there was still a chance, a chance that he couldn't be dead. And even though I was jealous of him, and hated him with every fiber of my being, I would never forgive myself if he was really the one Max wanted to be with. That, and I wanted to be a good person.

So I did the only thing I could do. I picked him up and carried him away. Maybe I could take him to where Max and the others were, and find an antidote or something for him. He was totally solid and weighed a ton, but I was determined to get him there, at least, so I dragged him along with me up into the air.

I was still going to do everything I could to fight for Max. I'd worked so hard to get her while he was gone, and he had shown up right as I was convincing her to forget him. They just weren't right for each other if he was willing to leave her side even as long as he did.

But one thing I didn't do was play dirty, which was what leaving him back there would have done. I needed Max to see him one more time, and I know like I was acting like her puppy, doing anything I could to make her happy, but I didn't care. It would be wrong of me to leave him.

Today, I was witness to a horrible thing. The people in that village would die, and although I felt guilty about it, I reminded myself that my hands were clean. I didn't do this – they did. The one person I thought I could trust did it. I was going to end this and end _them _once and for all if it killed me.

_I'm coming, Max. I'm coming to save you. _

* * *

I was reviewing some charts for Doctor Gunther-Hagen in our own personal lounge when Zander came into the room. Zarra looked up from her book and I put down my clipboard. He looked pissed, and I mean super pissed. Zarra picked up her whiteboard and a marker and wrote on it.

_What's wrong? _

"Ugh, I hate that little know-it-all! She thinks she's so much better than me, and that she can fight me, well, she's wrong! I'll beat the tar out of her, and take her stupid brother down with me!"

"I thought you said you liked her," I giggled. "I thought you said she was cute. According to my calculations, mister, that means that you aren't going to beat the tar out of anything. You'll sooner roll over and let her win."

"Zera, if we lose, we _die_," he emphasized, and Zarra and I stopped laughing. He was right. We had to beat the mutants, as much as we didn't want to. Well, I'll rephrase that. We wanted to beat them so we could live, but we were curious and happy that there were other mutants like us.

"Besides, what about your guy?" Despite my protests and growing embarrassment, he continued. "Yeah, Zarra has a right to know. Zera, you have a crush on your 'match', too! Don't be all high and mighty! You're in love with a guy that farts!"

Zarra took a moment to scribble something on her clipboard.

_Love? Oh, do tell. _

Zander grinned and continued, clamping a hand over my mouth as I struggled. "Yep. You should have heard her thoughts the day she met him. But she's such a good actor, the big walrus has no idea."

I ripped his hand away. "That is so not true! FYI, no one falls in love at age twelve, Zander! And, in case you forgot, I can burp your head off. So shut up." He smirked and turned away. I wanted to punch it right off his face.

"Oh, and let's not forget Zarra and, what was it…Iggy? Yeah, Iggy." Zarra's laughter died on her lips as she stared at him curiously. "She isn't like you, Zera. She isn't just mildly interested…she's intrigued. She can't understand why he could ruin her life, yet she likes him so much. And unlike you," he elbowed me, "she's sixteen, so she can loooove him all she wants."

She turned three shades of red and looked away pointedly. I knew that she was communicating with Zander because it was too much to write on a small whiteboard, and I went back to my book. In a few minutes, Zarra left the room angrily. I eyed Zander curiously, but he left in the opposite direction.

Great. No one ever told me anything. But what was worse – did I really like my 'match'? I was supposed to kick his butt when it came to the competition. Could I really do that if I liked him too much?

* * *

_Oh, it's you_, I heard as soon as I opened the door to Iggy's little room. _Unless you brought food, get out. _I have to admit that I felt disappointed when he 'said' that. I walked across the room and set a pizza box down next to him, and he felt around it until he discovered what it was.

I offered him a piece and pressed a can of Coke into his hand as I slid down next to the pizza box and got a piece for myself. We ate in silence for a few minutes. Unfortunately, I couldn't hear any of his thoughts that he didn't want me to hear, the same went for him.

I wanted to know him.

_Being nice all of a sudden? _He asked at last. _I thought it was your job to starve us until we positively became anorexic from lack of food and water, then were too weak to fight you in the competition. _I felt instantly guilty and bit the inside of my lip.

_I don't hate you, Iggy, _I sighed internally as I took another bite of the pizza. _I don't even want to win the competition anymore. Either way, one of us dies, and I know you'd rather it be me. Well…I don't entirely feel that way. _

His head swiveled toward me, and I felt small and weak, a feeling I'd never felt in my life. _Because I'm with you, I can see what you see, _he said, almost smiling. His expression became serious too soon. _Then how _do _you feel? _

I turned away. _I don't want to fight you. I want you to live. _

_Is that all? _His eyes were boring a hole in me. I cringed at the question's meaning. He wanted me to tell him how I felt about him. But it was too soon, and I didn't want to get hurt. I had always been quiet, guarded and tough as a weed, and he wasn't going to pull it apart now.

_Yes, _I answered, and walked from the room.

**Hmm...not sure how the OC POV's turned out...but if you'd please give me your opinions, they'd be appreciated :) I take con-crit, too, just be sure to leave me a review! I will send my neighbor's mexican hairless dog after you if you don't. You've been warned. xD **

**~Rachel**


	8. Chapter 8

****

A/N - Ugh, I had SUCH a writer's block during this chapter, it took me a week. I COULD HAVE WRITTEN THIRTY THOUSAND WORDS AND I ONLY ENDED UP WRITIGN 35OO? This is not good, not good at all. Anyway, since I'll be spending the next week at Lake Tahoe, no more updates, sorry! D:

**If any of you recall, the last time I had a new story coming out, I did a poll on my lookup for the pairing everyone wanted. I'm doing that again for a new story in August, be sure to vote on the poll and check back on August 1st for the new story! Enjoy this chapter and don't forget to leave a review~!**

**My Girl **

**Chapter 8**

Zander, Zarra and I walked behind Doctor Gunther-Hagen down the long hallway. The doors to the right were prison cells, I knew. In one were Nudge and Max, and in another was Iggy. Angel and Gazzy had been reserved for a special storage space, of course, because they were brother and sister. But what we were going to was at the end of the hall – the Director's meeting room.

We were lead in and were told to take a seat. When they asked us to do something, we never complained. Heck, Dr. G-H could have asked us to scrub the toilets and we would have done it, but we didn't always enjoy the things we were told to do. Like keeping the flock hostage, for example.

I shook my head. I couldn't afford to lose my head in the clouds today. And I couldn't afford to think that way about the flock. They were our enemies, and it was us against them. No matter how much I liked that blonde boy, it was me or him. And I wasn't willing to die young so that he could live. Rule number one of being a mutant freak was to survive.

"I'm sure you were all informed," she smiled down at us. I could tell that she thought Zander and I were completely adorable, but she kept glancing at Zarra with a distasteful look in her eye. Zander had told me that she considered Zarra to be "questionably" the greatest threat, the one most likely to forget our mission.

_Informed of what? _Zarra held the whiteboard up with little interest, inspecting something on her fingernails. I stifled a laugh as the Director sent a chilling glare her way, giving an indignant huff. Ooh, Zarra wasn't interested in her little games. Time to call the cops, I'm sure.

"As I was saying, I'm sure you were all informed that exactly one month from now will be your contest against the flock. But remember, they're all locked in cells, and not being fed enough. In no time, they'll be as weak as normal humans, giving you the advantage." But underneath her smile, I caught the underlying hint of her words – _there will be no screw-ups. _

Zarra cast me a sideways glance, then looked back at the Director. She held up her white-board with a smile. _Of course. We will beat the flock, and there will be nothing standing in the way of your plan. I doubt the competition will even last ten minutes. _The Director smiled with satisfaction. Zarra had officially earned her trust with a little sucking up.

As we exited the room, Dr. Gunther-Hagen dismissed us, and we all went our separate ways. I saw Zarra heading towards Iggy's cell, but I stopped her and pulled her into the nearest supply closet. She gave me a confused look, tilting her head to the side. But I wanted answers, and I wanted them now.

"What was that back in there?" I asked furiously. "You _know _that our loyalty is to Dr. G-H and the Director. If you don't get on board, you'll die, it's as simple as that. So you _have _to beat Iggy in that competition! I don't want to see my own sister die!" There were tears in my eyes. Why couldn't she understand?

She scribbled furiously at the whiteboard, and I waited patiently until it was all on. I had to squint to see it, but there it was. _Zera, this is wrong. We know she's evil, and we're not doing anything to stop it. What if there was a better way, a way to let them _and _ourselves live? Wouldn't you choose that way, above anything else?_ Her eyes were pleading.

I shook my head. She just didn't understand. "We don't have that option," I hissed. "Our options are kill or be killed. I will not lose to them when my own life is on the line. If that sounds selfish, it's because it is. I know the odds, Zarra, and if we help them, the odds are not good for us. The Director is just too powerful."

Her fists clenched and her eyebrows furrowed. I knew that she was as angry at me as I was at her, but I didn't care. I turned around and opened the door. But before I left, I turned back around. "I mean it, Zarra, I want you to stay away from Iggy. The closer you get to him, the harder it will be."

And I saw the pain in her eyes, feeling instantly guilty. I thought of Gazzy, and if I would even have the strength to stay away from him. I had managed to avoid him, and I had been the only one. Zander was sneaking off to see Angel, and Zarra couldn't hide that she was in love with Iggy. And strangely, I was feeling more like the leader than Zarra.

"Look, two in our flock are already with them!" I cried. "Even if we've never met them, we're on our own now, and we are not gonna stop until we win. Even if I'm not supposed to feel any human feelings, I love you and Zander, and I care what happens to you. Falling in love with Iggy will only drag you down. So please, please don't go back there."

She held up the whiteboard. _Zera, I'm the leader of the Anti-flock, ever since Dylan left. I'm not going to take orders from you. I know what's best for me. I don't need you to be my mother. _There was a defiant spark in her eyes. _I can make my own decisions. And I love Iggy more than I fear the Director. Let me go._ And she brushed past me, out of the room.

I don't know what snapped in me, maybe it was knowing that she was right and that the Director was evil. Nevertheless, I took a deep breath and started walking toward the storage area where Gazzy was being held. I felt like a hypocrite, but if I was going to die, I was going to make my life count.

* * *

Fang weighed a freaking ton, I noted as I dragged him through the air. It was making it harder to fly, supporting another person. We were in southern Mexico now, many miles to go before we hit Venezuela. I would stop twice as often, every few hours, to rest and regain my strength, and then I would carry on, the same as before. All the time, I reminded myself that it was for the flock. But it was becoming increasingly difficult, even with that motivation.

I had been looking out the entire time for another one of the black planes to come back or pass over with the mind-controlling gas. I had been super-alert and careful. Every time I stopped to rest in the trees, one never managed to find me. But I hadn't expected one to find me as I finally dropped out of the sky and into the trees for some well-deserved sleep.

Just as my eyelids were drooping, I felt myself cough when I inhaled it. And I knew there was no stopping it. My eyes opened wide as my mind started to fog over, and I fell off the tree, landing on the ground with a thud. Furiously, I struggled against it, prying myself up and running away through the trees, ignoring the searing pain. Once the green gas was clear, I leaned against a tree trunk and breathed heavily for a few moments.

I had left Fang, but more importantly, I figured out that the gas didn't effect me, and that I was strong enough to withstand it. I walked back to pick up Fang, waited for the helicopter to leave, and smirked before taking to the skies again.

* * *

For all the hours that we spent there, Max never talked to me. I was in a cell, like a caged animal, but it wasn't a feeling that I wasn't used to. I hated feeling like we were competing against each other, and feeling like I was betraying one of my best friends. But I couldn't help who I loved, and neither could she, and that was just what got us into this situation in the first place.

The silence was so strong that you could hear a pin drop, and every breath we took. The door opened occasionally when they slipped us some food, which was complicated as hell, as our chains didn't allow us to stretch very much. When Max slept, I cried. I wanted someone to come and save us, but there was really no hope at all.

Until this 'competition' that Gazzy, Angel and Iggy would be facing happened, we were all stuck there, and all I had was her, and all she had was me. I didn't know what would happen to Max and I if they lost, or even if they won. We were both worried about them. When she thought that I was asleep, she cried.

I decided to see if I could get to Angel at all. She could help me through a time like this, and she was the one that seemed to know everything about this place, being the one that had all those other Anti-flock kids on her side. _Angel_, I screwed my eyes shut and called her mentally. _Angel!_

_What_? Her voice popped into my head.

_Angel, when is this competition, exactly? _I thought hard at her.

_Well, we don't really know_, she 'said' bluntly. _Zera told us that it was coming soon, but we don't know when. But as much as I can figure out, they want us to compete against them with a series of tests focusing on our agility, strength, and basically, our chance of living in this new universe of theirs. _

_Wait, _I thought, confused, _if you're fighting Zarda and Gazzy's fighting Zelda and Iggy's fighting Zeron, who are Max and Dylan fighting? And who are Fang and I fighting?_ It made perfect sense that naturally, we'd be fighting as well.

There was a long pause, and it reminded me strangely of all the times that I would ask a stupid question and Max would just stare at me until I got it. But this time, I was drawing a complete blank. _…Nudge…you'll be fighting Fang. He's your match. That's why the Director's searching for him – to force you two to fight. Only one of you can live. _

My eyes rolled back in my head as I lost consciousness, stunned beyond belief. I fainted, falling face forward. But I never hit the ground, caught only by the chains supporting me.

* * *

Days later, I still hadn't forgotten Zera's little chat with me. That didn't stop me from seeing Iggy, though. I still wouldn't call us friends, but at least I usually brought him food and got him to smile once in a while. I'd been sneaking around Zera for the time being, but that little girl was everywhere. Not to mention harassing Zander for sneaking off to see Angel.

I poked my head out of the doorway, making sure the hallway was clear. My eyes darted both ways before creeping cautiously into the hall, tiptoeing quickly across to edge along the hall. It wouldn't really stop me from being seen, so I didn't know exactly why I was doing it. But I saw it in a movie one time, so I figured, what the heck.

The door around the corner opened without warning, and I panicked. Footsteps were coming down the hall, and muffled voices. I looked this way and that, trying to find somewhere to hide, my eyes finally settling on the supply closet. At the last moment, I dived into it, cracking the door lightly. I didn't know why, because it wasn't like I could hear them.

My eyebrows raised in confusion as I saw Zander and Zarra in the hall, a murderous glare on her face and an equally ferocious one on his. She slammed him against the wall, and her back was to me. I couldn't read her lips, but I could read his. Whatever she said pissed him off, because his next reply was, "Fuck off!"

My eyes widened considerably, and she retorted back with a slap in the face and a comment that I couldn't hear, but I knew that it drove him insane. "I'm not in freaking cahoots with her!" he yelled at her, and I stifled a laugh. "Don't you think she has a right to some company before she dies?" Well, well, looks like someone _else _had been sneaking in to see his 'match'.

She shook her head furiously and they both stomped off in opposite directions, Zander heading the way I came and Zarra heading off the opposite way. But something wasn't right about that. Our rooms and the storage area that Angel was in were the way that Zander had gone. But the way Zera had gone was the room that Gazzy had been moved to for testing.

Well, well, well. Now things got interesting. Little Zera had a secret, too. I smiled in spite of myself, sneaking out of the supply closet and down the hall toward Iggy's prison cell.

* * *

Zander didn't really think much of Zera going off in the opposite direction, she could tell. It was something they all did – Zera with Zarra, and with Zander, and Zander with Zarra. It was a stupid and childish thing to do, but it generally made them feel better, like we'd won the argument when in reality they all looked like a bunch of idiots with no clear winner.

Today had been another one of those days. It had been days since she had convinced Zarra not to go see Iggy, and she hadn't seen her with him since. Zera wasn't convinced that Zarra wouldn't sooner or later, but for the time being, she was safe. Then Zander had come right out and announced that he was going to go see Angel.

He had somehow convinced himself that it was for her own good, and that she at least deserved some companionship before she lost to him in the competition, but Zarra knew him better than that. First, he was the last person Angel ever wanted to see. She would sooner keep a dead fish for a friend than him, and she'd probably slap him the next time he got close to her. Secondly, they all knew that Angel was going to win.

Was Zera the only one that was staying true to the Director and Doctor Gunther-Hagen, their creator, whom she had known for twelve years and had practically been her father? Was she the only one staying true to _herself_, and everything she believed in?

She stopped, leaning against the wall. Was that what this was really about? When she was a child, it wasn't like normal. She'd been more obsessed with books and statistics rather than finding love later. She believed in good hard facts, solid proof, and science. Not something as unpredictable of love, or even friendship.

The truth of it was, she'd never even found it in her heart to really love someone. Dr. Gunther-Hagen was never really her father, and he'd never been there when she had a problem. He'd been the one that had encouraged her through tests and manipulated her to be his little star. But had it ever been real fatherly love?

No, of course not. And Zarra had seen that a long time ago. That was why she hadn't bought into any of their crap, why she was desperately looking for a plan to make sure the world was saved. But Zera knew better. She could not, would not let herself fall into this mess that the others had. If she was the only one, that would be fine. She could do it on her own.

But if she didn't want to be sucked into the mess that they all had fallen for eventually, why was she slowly walking toward the room that Gazzy was being held in for tests, a room that only she had the key to because Doctor Gunther-Hagen trusted her more than the others? Was she really going to see Gazzy, expecting him to solve her problems when, in reality, he would just tear her down like Angel had Zander and Iggy had Zarra?

Nevertheless, she opened the door, only to find the blonde boy asleep at the table. For only ten years old, he was remarkably handsome, she noticed, and her hold on the clipboard that she always carried softened. A small smile rested on her lips, if only for a moment, before she sat down in the chair across the room, watching him silently. Her clipboard fell to the floor, abandoned for the moment. She studied him curiously.

He had been given anesthesia temporarily to calm him down, and he was fast asleep. He wouldn't be waking up anytime soon, she noted. She almost wished that he would wake up, that she could have someone to talk to who wasn't completely psychotic or as desperately rebellious as Zarra. But she knew that if she did, she would be just as bad as them, and she wouldn't have that.

For now, this would stay her little secret, and she didn't look at it as being weak and caving in. She saw it as, shall we say, taking a break and observing her 'perfect other half', all for the sake of science.

She could feel good about herself still, keeping her superiority and continuing to try to forget about Gazzy. Because she was certain, positively certain, that she wouldn't be seeing him again. It had been good to know there was someone like her, but that was all he would ever be. He was certainly not to be her friend, even if he _was _her 'perfect other half'.

When she walked from the room, the door closed behind her. The sleeping boy would simply never know she had been there. She smiled to herself, despite her deceit. She felt no pain of knowing he couldn't escape, that he was trapped and that he would lose to her. She left all her worries and doubts in that room.

Hours later, as the blonde boy was waking up, he rubbed his sleepy eyelids and glanced around the room. It was the same as before, with one shocking difference. He wasn't stupid in the least, and he was perceptive as anything. There, in the corner of the room, next to one of the chairs, was a forgotten clipboard, which told the story of something far more important.

She had been there. And even though his heart shouldn't have skipped even the slightest beat, it did.

I had discovered something important as I was flying over the border of Mexico and further into Central America. It was like I was having memories of a time before Dr. Gunther-Hagen had introduced me to Max and the others, a time which I had completely blocked out of my memory. I was seeing me, but I was also seeing people who I had no names for.

It was like they were familiar in some way, and special, just like the flock was to me now. There were people with dark hair and pointed features, two girls and a young boy. Nudge was there, too, chattering in her usual way. But it was wrong. Where were Max, Fang, Iggy, Gazzy and Angel? They were nowhere, nonexistent.

He hadn't been created to be the same age as the flock. He had grown up, just like the rest of them. And even if he couldn't remember the days, these images of the children with black hair and Nudge, with an occasional Dr. Gunther-Hagen, they meant something, he was sure of it. And there was something significant about the timing. The visions had chosen to appear right after he had rescued Fang from the Director.

It was all linked back to her, her plan for Max and for the flock. He swore to himself that he would find it, and always keep them safe.

If Nudge was with Dr. Gunther-Hagen, was this some secret that she didn't want the others to know? Was she really evil, and just pretending to be on their side all that time? No. For some reason, he hated to think about that. It gave him the same feeling in his stomach as when Fang had appeared and taken Max away from him.

But this was…different, wasn't it? Nudge was a sister to him, and a dear sister at that, but she was definitely no Max to him. She was just a kid, barely even a teenager and would undoubtedly end up with Fang. That was the way it was meant to be.

He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he was focused again, and the only thing he cared about was flying to Venezuela. He resituated Fang, flapped his wings a few more times and faced forward, the wind whipping around his face. This nightmare would be over soon, he was sure of it.

**So, how was it? I really think that it sucked, actually, I was dead tired a****nd possibly drugged when I wrote this! xD Jk, don't do drugs, kids. Review! **

**~Rachel**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N - I'm back! But writing this story always gives me such a writer's block D: Yay to the reviewers, though! xD Speaking of reviewers, some people have told me that it's confusing with all of the Zander/Zera/Zarra POV switching, so here's the distinction for you. **

**ZARRA is the oldest, and is the same age as Iggy, being his match. She is a deaf mute. **

**ZERA is the middle child, being Gazzy's match. She is one year older than him, and is really kind of useless apart from being the brain of the mission to destroy the world. **

**ZANDER is the youngest boy who can read people's minds and body languages. He is Angel's match. **

**Hope that helped! ^^ **

**My Girl **

**Chapter 9**

**Gazzy POV **

Bored, bored, bored. Not only did they keep us prisoners in this rat hole, but they also had to starve us, drug us and separate us. Once again, I had been moved into that special room for testing. They told me it was because they were sure there was something wrong with me, but I knew it was to keep me away from Angel.

They wanted to see how we reacted without seeing each other. And it was working quite well, judging from my beating my head against the concrete wall around me every other second.

"Bored, bored, bored," I mumbled, hitting my head on the wall with every "bored" that spilled out of my mouth. My head had started aching long ago, but at least this distracted me from the insane boredom. I didn't know if that made me crazy or just masochistic, but either way, my head was starting to go numb.

It had been hours since anyone had checked on me. Occasionally, one of those bastards would poke their head in to make sure if I was still alive. I got a few amused chuckles out of them every time I went back to beating my head against the wall. Well, that was just dandy. Happy to amuse.

One thing was for sure – the scientist bastards weren't the only ones who had been in and out of my room while I slept. I hadn't forgotten about that clipboard that I had found on the floor when I had woken up. Sure, it had been about ten days, but I had seen it, and her handwriting on it, using my awesome raptor-vision powers.

And how did I happen to know that it was hers? Well, I know _so many _whitecoats that dot their i's with hearts.

I didn't know when she'd been in there, I could have been asleep for days or hours or a few seconds, but she had definitely come in to see me. I had no idea what she wanted, because she wasn't the one who controlled or fed me, but for whatever reason, she had been in there.

I hated myself, because just thinking that maybe she had been in there because she wanted to see me made me happier than I had been in a long time. She didn't feel that way about me, and I knew it might have been because she was a year or so older than I was. But I still hated thinking that maybe, I could possibly like her.

It reminded me of once when we were staying at Dr. Martinez's house, a month or so after Fang left. Max was in tears constantly, and Iggy was just trying to hold things together, and Nudge couldn't stop talking to try to ease the tension, even though she really only made things worse.

Angel and I were the ones who tried to be like we were before. She came home, and apologized to Max and the rest of the flock. Max didn't forgive her, and maybe she still didn't. Either way, it should have been just like before, but it wasn't, because Fang was gone.

When I was with Angel, she was my sister, and I could just forget the fact that Fang had left and that everyone was miserable. We spent time together, took walks, sometimes just sat and laughed or made jokes. But one day, when I was walking with her on the sidewalk to the park, we saw some kids on the other side of the sidewalk.

They were cute and really young, younger than we were. But they were standing beside a van, the man inside the van saying something to them that we couldn't hear. His charming smile and welcoming attitude soothed the children, and we saw them get into his van.

The van drove away, and we were too stunned to do or even say anything. The guy in the van could have been their uncle, or a family friend, or even their father, for all we knew. But there was something nagging at my brain, telling me that he could be one of those perverts that pretend to be nice just to kidnap innocent children.

They were the evil ones. And some part of me knew that Zera wasn't evil. But she was smart enough to know that it was kill or be killed, and she wouldn't simply be killed. She was like the man in the van, at least to me, the one who seemed to be nice and civil, making her like you, maybe a little too much, but really just lured you in until you were trapped.

But I already was trapped. I'd be trapped forever if I didn't get out of this.

**Dylan POV **

It had been a slow process getting any close to Venezuela ever since the planes had started showing up. The same black planes were everywhere, either following us or corrupting more people. They stopped over large cities, over small villages, and over small farmhouses, determined not to miss anything.

I didn't know much about the Director. I clearly hadn't been around for whatever happened between her and Max, but I knew she was evil enough to destroy the world. She was doing a good job of it, too. By now, almost half of North America would be brainwashed with the gas.

Every few miles, another plane would come by, so the plan might have been going faster than I had thought. To avoid being seen, we'd have to stop constantly, hiding in the trees until the plane passed, only to be met with another one a few miles later. It was tedious, but of course it had to be done.

We were currently taking a break. Or at least, I was taking a break. Fang was frozen, as always, sitting up against the tree trunk where I had deposited him. We didn't have a fire, and I was almost out of food. I had no money, so stopping at one of the towns was out.

My stomach growled, not for the first time, but I clenched my fists, keeping my promise to myself that I'd ration it and have only a little each day. That only reminded me how long this was taken. Max had been with them for over two weeks, and the flock was probably being starved and abused.

I hated myself for letting that happen. But I couldn't do anything to help them. I felt just as helpless as they did. The difference was that I wasn't in a dog crate or a concrete cell, fighting with all my willpower to stay alive.

Just then, I heard a groan, and my head snapped over to the source. Fang's eyelids were blinking rapidly, and one of his arms was twitching. But how was that possible?

"Help," I just barely heard him whisper. His eyes were wide, and his voice was hoarse. Both of his arms started twitching, his neck stretching out but he didn't seem able to lift his body off the ground.

I crawled over and helped him to sit up better. I forgot that he was the person I hated. He was just another guy that probably loved Max as much as I did, maybe even more. I was furious at myself for thinking that. No one loved Max more than I did. Just because he had her first didn't mean that he was made for her.

I shrank back, remembering that the very reason that I was made was for her. I was everything she could ever want, should be everything she ever wanted. I was made _for her_, to suit her likes and dislikes and interests and tastes and personality. So why was I helping him, when he wanted to take away everything I loved?

Yet I found myself digging what was left of the water out of my backpack, and getting him some food. He accepted them with shaking hands, hands that were just regaining their feeling from being paralyzed so long. He drank all of it, and I tried to ignore my own hunger and thirst.

I discovered that it was easier to feel good about rescuing him when he was just a statue, not able to talk and think and basically exist. Now that he was back to normal, I almost wanted to kill him, which was scary. Max would never know, and there would be nothing standing in between us.

I'd had the thought before, but never like this. I was seriously considering it, knowing that I'd get away with it. Fang had wanted to kick me out of the flock, take away my only family and practically leave me to die. I had enough rage inside me to do something like that.

"Thank you." Fang spoke softly, not looking me in the eye.

_What? _I was dumbfounded. He was clearly as thrilled about thanking me as I was about having him alive, but he had thanked me, and I was surprised. And I had to admit that maybe he was the better person. Because I knew for sure that I wouldn't have said the same thing to him, not in a million years.

"You're welcome," I answered simply.

**Max POV **

And now, time for one of Nudge's newest games, "Where's-the-bathroom-in-this-place-oh-wait-what's-that-bucket-over-there", brought to you by the lack of toilets or proper indoor plumbing in our jail cell.

"Done," she announced in a small voice, setting the bucket at the far end of the room, humiliated. I pointedly ignored her, but I had to admit that it was painful, not talking to anyone in ten days. It must have been killing Nudge.

"I so wish they had soap here," Nudge complained, not for the first time, and I rolled my eyes.

"Easy over there, OCD," I said. "With what they're feeding us, you have to admit that it's not that often."

"Can we not talk about this anymore?" she asked, wrinkling her nose, and clearly not noticing that I had said my first words to her since our little fight over _my boyfriend_.

But I ignored it. This is how bored and sad and alone being imprisoned could make you. "Hey, you talked to me!" she finally yelped, not sure whether to smile or to be slightly alarmed. "Why?" she asked, confused.

I sighed. "Because it was too quiet. Because I need human companionship, and you're the closest thing I could find. Because it alarms me that you can't talk to me during the day, so you talk in your sleep. And because I miss you," I said, not looking at her.

Nudge sat down in the center of the room. One thing I was glad for was that she had complained so bitterly about not being able to go to the bathroom that they had released us from our chains and were now more concerned with putting an electric field on the other side of the door to ensure that we didn't get out.

"Here it is, Max," she looked up at me. "I miss you, too. I miss when you were my sister and I could trust you with anything, and we weren't fighting all the time. But just because I miss you, I'm not going to stop liking Fang."

I gaped at her. "Who do you think you are? He's my boyfriend, and he has been for years! I love him, and I waited for him for over a year! You're too young for him, anyway!" I was practically spitting with rage.

"Sit down," she said sadly. "I think we can talk without yelling this time." And even though I wanted to grab her neck and beat her skinny head against the concrete wall, I thought better of it. I sat on the floor and folded my legs under me, looking at her expectantly.

"Stop talking to me like I'm a little kid!" she exclaimed, surprising me. "I'm fourteen! I'm as old as you were when you and Fang first got together, and no one treats me like it! Max, I can't help who I like! When you left Fang and me alone at the cliff with the hawks two and a half years ago, I started liking him!"

"So why didn't you just get him then?" I asked.

"Hello, I was eleven!" she rolled her eyes. "He would have talked to me like you're talking to me now! And it was all fine when I was eleven, but it's been three years, and we've _all _grown up, not just you, Fang and Iggy!"

"What about Dylan?" I asked, avoiding her eyes. I hadn't thought of Dylan for a few days, mostly because it was Fang that Nudge liked, so I had been focused on him. But what was I to Dylan now? I thought I'd decided that I had chosen Fang.

"Dylan's my brother," she shrugged.

"Great," I gave a shaky laugh. "The one who showed up just over a year ago is your brother, but the one that's been with you all your life is the one you really love." I searched her face. "And you really do love him, don't you?" She gave a meek nod.

"You always get the guys!" she sighed. "First Fang falls in love with you, and then Dylan. You're amazing and pretty and I'm just…me…" she finished glumly.

"Sweetie, you're really cute, but I guess you're just too much like family," I hugged her, wanting desperately to believe what I said was true. I couldn't let her take Fang from me. He was familiar, adventurous, and Dylan was just too…safe? But hadn't I always wanted someone safe, the opposite of my life?

My head was swimming, but I managed to get out one more thing. "I'm over Dylan," I choked out. "It was just a phase."

"Phase or not, he still loves you," Nudge pulled away to look at me. "Even if you're not meaning to, you're breaking his heart."

**Iggy POV **

I heard the cell door open, and I knew it was her. It was always her. She was the only one that came in, and the only one who was kind at all. She always brought food, or something to do, and sometimes she came alone, just to talk, knowing that it had to be hard for me to pass the time.

Sometimes it was hard to tell that she was deaf and mute. Unable to hear and sometimes jumbling her words when she talked, she generally preferred to communicate with her mind. But when she couldn't, like to other people, she carried a small whiteboard everywhere.

I usually looked forward to her coming. I knew she wasn't really allowed to see me, at least because we were supposed to fight each other, but she came in anyway. She was more of a friend than my family had been in the last year or so. And I knew it wasn't right, because it was betraying Max and the flock, but I probably appeared like a puppy waiting for its master to come home.

"Hey, Zarra," I said casually, laying on the floor and staring blankly up at the ceiling, or at least what I thought was the ceiling. For all I knew, the ceiling could have been torn off by a twister while I slept, but I trusted that it was still attached, and rather than slamming into the ceiling, I stayed where I was.

Her mental self –the picture of her that I saw in my mind as she spoke to me, unlike Max or the others- giggled, amused by my strange thoughts. _What if it had been someone else, Iggy? You should be more careful,_ she scolded.

_Relax, it's always you_, I thought back. Well, it wasn't exactly like thinking. I had to work to get the point across, _really _think as if saying it in my mind, not just the vague idea like I did with Angel.

_I'll say_, she retorted as she sat down next to me. _I'm practically the one saving you from death. I feed you, and keep you company…_

_It's also your fault that I'm in here_, I rolled my eyes jokingly, but she cast me a worried look.

_I'm sorry_, she sighed. _I am the reason you're in here, because you're my 'match' or whatever. I'm sorry I can't do anything to help you, but there's just too much security, and you're blind. I know that you and the flock are right. The Director is evil. _

_This isn't your fault_, I protested. _I won't let you be killed just for helping me. _

_It is my fault! _she exploded. _I should be able to help you, and get the flock to safety! I should have Doctor Gunther-Hagen get you your sight back, just like he refuses to do with my hearing until I help him! But I can't! I can't even help my little sister, who thinks that the Director really is right, and is helping her to destroy the world. _

I sat up. I didn't understand why I was so bent on getting my _enemy _to see that it wasn't her fault, but I was. I put one arm around her shoulder, hugging her tightly. _It is not your fault_, I emphasized, and she lifted her head, her face only inches from mine. And I had the craziest thoughts.

Thoughts like leaving the flock and staying with Zarra. Who cared if I was under the Director's power? I could get her to trust me, and we could escape, just the two of us. And wouldn't that be great? Just forgetting the flock to be with Zarra?

Zarra's eyes were swimming with her own thoughts, and I had my own. I couldn't hear hers, and I hoped she couldn't hear mine. Because this was wrong, what I was feeling. I wouldn't forget the flock for a girl. _A girl risking her own death for you_, I snarled at myself, but I ignored it.

_I'm sorry, _the thought was hazy with others as she picked herself up off the floor. A second later, the door slammed, and she was gone.

**Fang POV **

"So you're saying that the gas wears off?" Dylan asked. Man, he was slow. Unfortunately, he had given me food and water, so I guess I kind of owed it to him to at least stay and tell him what I knew. I nodded blankly.

The color returned to Dylan's face quickly. "So all of those people…" I thought I heard him mumble, but I was probably just hearing things. I hadn't been able to close my eyes, eat, or sleep for days. I had been completely paralyzed, unable to move my chest, making breathing difficult.

"Look, I don't care who finds the flock first," he continued, "But they're probably dying in there. It's been too long, what with all those planes and everything. I'm so worried that when we make it there…not all of them will be saved."

I was silent for a moment, too. "As much as I hate to say this…it's not going to do either of us much good to be alone. And we're no use to the flock if we're dead, that's for sure."

"Are you suggesting…"

"Yeah."

We both groaned.

**Zander POV **

"Do you just keep coming here because you're bored, or what?" she asked, highly annoyed, as I sat with my back to her cage. I grinned, although she couldn't see it. She was right, I was bored, and I had come because it annoyed her, and provoking her was fun. But it was also because I couldn't stay away.

"Fine. I'm in here because I have a test to give you, and the doctors didn't want to deal with the little winged demon," I answered. It was a lie, but whatever. I pulled out a scrunched up paper, the posters that eye doctors use to test your vision with the big E on the top.

What? I don't know what it's called. Let's just call it the eye-tester-inator.

"I am going to use this to test your eyes," I said, pointing to the eye-tester-inator. "Just testing your raptor vision-thing. So see if you can tell me all the letters. Let's start with the big letter on top," I offered, stifling a cackle.

I walked to the back of the storage area and held up the poster. "Ready!" I called.

"E," she said easily.

"Sorry, that's wrong," I said in all seriousness.

"The top letter is an E," she insisted. "Look, it's right there!"

"Sorry, that's not an E," I shook my head.

"Look, you idiot," she seethed, "That is a freaking E! Can't you read?"

I fell over laughing.

She growled viciously, but strangely, a little blonde girl wasn't very vicious. "You were just tricking me, you loser!" she snarled. I only laughed harder.

"What was your first clue?" I gasped in between fits of laughter. "You're supposed to be the mind reader, and you couldn't even figure that out! What kind of a bird kid are you?"

"I was distracted," she pouted defensively.

"By my devilishly handsome good looks?" I wiggled my eyebrows. Her cheeks reddened significantly, and she looked away.

"Come on, lighten up," I rolled my eyes, but I was smiling.

"I'd lighten up for a sandwich," she complained. "Do you have any idea what they feed us?"

"One sandwich for the lady, coming right up," I grinned, and I was off.

And she thought I didn't notice her little giggle.

**Gazzy POV **

Once I had grown bored of hitting my head on the wall -that, and it was starting to really hurt-, I had decided to take a nap. My stomach growled painfully, and I missed Angel and the rest of the flock, but I could forget about it all if I slept.

Just as I was drifting off to sleep, I heard a soft scratching at the door. I didn't show any sign of being awake, I let my shoulders sag. But out of the corner of my eye, I could see a small head towards the bottom window in the door. It was Zera.

Her eyes traveled around the room, and I shut my eyes when they ghosted over my "sleeping" form. After making sure that I was asleep, the door opened quietly and she tiptoed in, retrieving her notebook, and making for the door.

But something made her stop, and she turned around and stared at me. I tried not to flinch. She stayed like that for a few minutes, then disappeared behind the door. When I was sure she was down the hall, I pumped my fist in the air. "She likes me!" I whisper-hissed to myself.

…Wait…was that a good thing?

**3****rd**** POV **

The Director was angry as she glared down at Dr. Gunther-Hagen. "I told you there can be no screw-ups this time!" she growled in frustration. "There was a glitch in the formula! Fang is alive, and getting closer. The gas's effects are only temporary!"

"I'll fix it!" he growled back. He didn't need to be told what to do, especially from this bitch who didn't know anything about science. "We'll re-distribute it, even in a vaccine. We can lie and tell them it's for an unknown illness, and people will take it. In the meantime, Fang will be no threat."

"Do not underestimate him!" The Director slammed her fist on the table, hatred in her face. "He was trained by Max. She almost killed me two years ago! I do not want a repeat, understand?"

"What do you want me to do?" he growled.

"Send in the Kaiju for them," she smirked.

**Alrighty then. For those of you who have never seen Godzilla -coughlikemecough-, _Kaiju _is the Japanese word for 'monster'. A Kaiju is a humanoid monster that is generaally very tall and goes about destroying cities and killing people. A Kaiju is a medium-sized large monster, wheras a _daikaiju _is a large supermonster. But I didn't say that, now did I? xD Next chapter - monster time! 8D**

**Also, I have decided to stop using the line breaks because they are a BITCH to do on my computer, since they never show up or they show up in the wrong places, making you all confused. So now, you get to be _told _whose POV it is! Yaaaaay! ^3^**

**~Rachel**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N - Why do I always feel like I'm returning from a long abscense when I write? xD This story is always so hard to write, for some reason. Oh, well. New story out in three days, people! Ah, anyway, in a few days, I'm on visitation with my dad for the last time this summer, and then I'm off to Colorado, so updates will be NONEXISTANT! during those weeks. Heh, heh...*is killed by the readers who threaten to poke/kill me with sticks unless I update* Happy 10th chapter! (It's traditional for me to get exited/happy every ten chapters I write)**

**My Girl **

**Chapter 10**

**Iggy POV **

What's even more depressing than seeing the situation you're in is feeling it, trust me. Instead of just being trapped in a cell and seeing it, I was actually sitting on it, leaning against the wall and feeling it all the time. And all I felt was grey, and I couldn't escape it. Normally, being blind would have been handy in this situation. But all I was seeing in my mind was grey, and I gotta tell you, it was depressing.

As much as I could, I tried to go to sleep. Sleeping distracted me from the boredom, and missing the rest of the flock. Unlike all the times before, I wasn't sure we were going to get out of this. None of us were. But I was all slept out. I just wasn't tired now, and so I was forced to stay awake.

When the door to my cell clicked open, I almost jumped for joy. To be honest, it could have been a merciless Eraser and I would have been happy that they were there. "If you're Doctor Gunther-Hagen, shoot me now," I said, despite knowing that it was Zarra again.

She punched my arm lightly as she sat down next to me. We sat in silence for a while before she spoke. _I'm sorry for what happened yesterday_, she commented. _I guess I just have an overly developed sense of guilt. I'm sorry I bothered you. _

"Don't be silly," I grinned slightly. I really wanted to speak today, because I knew she could read my thoughts. "I mean, other than you being my prison warden and holding me hostage in a grey cell, you're pretty cool." She thought I didn't notice the blush that spread across her face. I loved being able to see when she was in the room. It made me feel normal.

_I meant what I said, though_, she said seriously. _I feel so awful, because I'm a terrible person. I know this is wrong, and I know it's not a game, and I'm not doing anything to stop it. And I like you, Iggy. You're a good person…and I'm not. I don't like doing this. I don't want to play this game. _She put her head in her hands.

I put my arm around her shoulders and squeezed tightly. "This isn't your fault." It felt so…odd…to be comforting someone who was supposed to be my enemy. But it was complicated. I liked her, but more than normal. Was it wrong, to betray the flock, if she was truly on my side? I looked down at her.

"But really, do you seriously know that it's wrong? No one around here seems to know that. They look at us like we're some kind of animal, and that it's okay to do anything with us, just like we make cows into cheeseburgers. So, you seriously have a soul?" It was meant as a joke, but she answered it truthfully.

_I wish I didn't_, she replied honestly. _If I didn't, it would be so much easier not to care about you, and just do what I was told, but I've done that for too long, and I really like spending time with someone relatively normal, like you._

I thought on it for a minute, holding her close to me. I knew how she felt. Even though it felt good to hold her so close, and like her too much for my own good, I wish I didn't, because it would make it so much easier to hate her like Max would. "If you hate it so much…why don't you fly away from here? Why don't you just escape?" I knew we'd been through this.

She sighed. _You don't understand. If I leave here, I'd have nowhere else to go, and no one else to love. Zera and Zander are my life, and I love them more than anything else in the world. And they've been corrupted by this evil. I can't save them now. The only people that can save them are Gazzy and Angel, and they won't. _

I nodded as she continued. _I don't want to be on my own. All the time, I feel so alone, and it's hard enough to relate to people when I don't have a voice. I'm already shut out of everything, every day, and I have to use this stupid clipboard. But it's not like really being alone. I've been alone before, and I hate it. If I leave, I'll have no one. _

And I wanted to make everything alright for her. More than I wanted to be able to see again, I wanted to give her a voice. I wanted her to have a real life, an easy life, even if it meant that I never would. I was scared, more scared than I'd ever been of anything, but I was also happy. I'd never been in love, like Max, so I wasn't sure what it was like. This might have been it.

_When Fang and Dylan come, you'll get out of here, and you'll live a happy life, even if it won't be an easy one. You have a chance that I'll never have. I want you to be happy, but I can't help you, because I don't want to be alone. If I leave, with nowhere else to go, I won't have a flock to fall back on. I'll be on my own, with no one else in the world. _

"That's not true," I tilted her chin up to face me, confusion in her dark eyes. I bit my lip. I wanted to make her see, but I was afraid, again. Couldn't I at least be honest with her, if no one else? "You have me," I said honestly, and wrapped my arms around her.

I expected for her to pull away, or run from the room as she had done yesterday. But her arms wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me closer to her. "Thank you," she whispered.

If there was a heaven, this was it.

**Max POV **

My eyes fluttered open when I heard Nudge whisper in my ear, "Max, someone's coming." I immediately snapped awake, fully alert. Nudge and I had been planning this for a while. Well, a while since yesterday. The people here had realized that if we were chained to the wall, someone would constantly have to come in to feed and water us, and take us to the bathroom.

Not to say that the bucket was any better, but you know. Therefore, they had opted to remove our shackles, thinking that we would just accept what we got and be happy about it. Hate to tell you, but that's not how we roll. So since yesterday, when we'd magically become friends –or something close to friends, anyway-, we'd made the plan.

We crawled over to the table, hiding behind it easily, as it was made of concrete. Careful not to make a sound, even when breathing, we were completely still. The door opened, and we looked at each other and nodded. "Max?" I heard a voice, and I was extremely happy to hear that it was Dr. Gunther-Hagen, just the man we wanted to see.

"Now," I whispered, and without a word, I leapt up from where I'd been sitting, flipped over the table in the center of the room, grabbed Dr. Gunther-Hagen and clapped my hand over his mouth. His muffled scream was drowned out by when Nudge wordlessly shut the door. And now we had him right where we wanted him.

"Bastard," I growled as I kicked him hard in the side, sending him tumbling down onto the floor.

"Dirty fucking coward," Nudge surprised me by cursing, and grabbed him by the shirt collar. It was hard not to feel real joy as her fist contracted with her nose. I grabbed him from her and hurled him against the nearest wall. I resisted the urge to grab his stethoscope and beat him with it.

He was too bewildered to fight back, as if he had seriously stepped into the room just to "ask us a few questions" yet again, and hadn't expected that he'd be faced with two seriously repressed teenage girls, who were so angry at him that they were ready to rip out his rib cage and use it as his eternal coffin.

After being kicked in the stomach, having his arm twisted at an impossible angle, and having his hair almost ripped out of his skull, he still wouldn't pass out. We only kicked and punched that much harder. We weren't in any real hurry, and we'd probably get caught anyway. We were going to have some fun with him.

And maybe part of me was beating him so hard for bringing Dylan into my life. What was with these people? I would love who I wanted to love and choose who I wanted to spend my life with, not who someone else said I should love. And Dylan had confused me more than he needed to. "I love Fang more," I whispered as I brought my knee up to his stomach.

"What?" Nudge whispered, having been too busy pounding her fists into his chest to hear me. I shook my head. "Nothing," I replied, and put Dylan and Fang out of my mind. But Dr. Gunther-Hagen looked me in the eyes, and I know he'd heard me.

"He's right for you in every way," he groaned as Nudge punched him hard in the stomach. Surprised, she jumped back. "He's the one you should choose." I gaped at him like a dead fish. "Don't you see, Max? This was all a test, to see if you and Fang could withstand the pressure. And you both failed. Dylan's waited for you. He passed. He's the better person for you."

"You're insane!" I screamed. "You set us up? Dylan was just a test for me? _And _you neglected to tell me that he was part of the Anti-flock destined to kill us? Make up your mind! Should he love me, or kill me?" I was ready to rip his head off and feed it to a wild boar.

The Anti-flock wasn't my idea!" he protested. "It was hers! She ordered me to make the Anti-flock with only destroying you in mind, but I saw a potential. Think about it, Max. You and Fang may be able to pair off, and Nudge and Iggy might be able to pair off, too-"

"Hey!" Nudge interjected, about to claim that, yet again, she didn't have feelings for Iggy and that he should just shut the hell up. But I clamped my hand over her mouth, rendering her silent.

"But what about Gazzy and Angel, Max? They're going to grow up one day! They won't have anyone. Do you really want them to have that lonely life? I have offered you all a way to escape from that, with a match for each one of you." I knew what he was doing. He was trying to distract me. Good luck, dude. He had a black eye on his face to prove that I wouldn't be distracted from eternally punishing him.

I slammed him against the wall. "_We_ will decide how our lives will turn out. Not _you_. _We _are the ones who will decide our future, paired off or not. You _cannot _tell us who to love, who to be or what to do. _We _do not answer to _you_. Our destiny is something that _we _will decide, something that no one else can decide for us."

And he went limp, for no reason. "What the hell?" But then I looked at Nudge, who was removing her hands from his neck. "Wait, was that you? Where did you learn that?"

"The internet," she grinned, but it faded quickly. "Max…you're right. Just because Dylan is your match…that doesn't mean you should choose him. They're both perfect for you. But…don't make your decision just because you don't want to be controlled. Dylan really does care about you." She hung her head.

I threw my arms around her in a hug. She was surprised, not really sure what to make of this. I never give hugs. I'm not that kind of person. But I was hugging her now. "Thank you," I whispered. "I know…it's hard to give up the guy you like. I don't know…who I like more, to be honest. But I have to choose."

I sighed and pulled away. "Alright. Now, first things first – we gotta get out of here." She nodded. I walked to the door, and pulled it open. The last thing I was prepared to see was what I came face-to-face with.

**Dylan POV **

It was true that flying next to Fang wasn't the most entertaining thing of my life. It was only slightly better than carrying him in paralyzed form. He didn't talk. I mean, at all. I didn't know how someone could be like that. It was like the complete opposite of Nudge and her motormouth.

Mostly, it was that whole awkward silence thing. Flying was very awkward. Of course, Fang didn't seem to mind the silence. Bathroom breaks were _very _awkward, and I really won't go into that. Camping for the night was probably the worst, because we actually had to talk. And honestly, he wasn't even that interesting when he talked.

How did he have all those fans on his blog? I just couldn't understand it. Sure, he was all "dark and silent", but he had no heart, soul or even a sense of humor. No matter what they say, the whole freaky mouth-twitching thing does not replace laughing. End of story. He was like, a dead leaf. Well, that would be insulting dead leaves everywhere. He had the enthusiasm of a dead leaf.

"Holy _shit_!" Well, then again, maybe he had a little more enthusiasm. I looked over to see what he had been yelling about, and _oh my crap _it was the weirdest thing you'd ever see.

What we were looking at, literally about ten feet away from us, was a huge lizard-thing. If I'd ever seen a dinosaur, this would be it. It was a vaguely humanoid monster, with a large, bulky body and smaller arms. It had legs, and an extremely long tail that it thrashed around violently as it roared at us.

It must have been about two hundred feet tall, crushing even our six-foot height. And we thought we were pretty tall. Long spines stuck out of its back, running down its tail, and one of its teeth could have skewered ten people in one chomp. Its eyes were red and glowing, and it looked ready to kill.

"Hey, it's Godzilla!" Fang exclaimed, an actual smile on his face. He looked like a kid on Christmas morning.

I would have rolled my eyes, but I was still in shock from the _giant freaking monster _right in front of me. "Are you insane?" I yelled. "You're silent and quiet all day, unenthusiastic as Oscar the Grouch, but when you see a huge monster that's trying to kill us, you're happy all of a sudden? What's wrong with you?" He shot me a dark look.

"Plus, what the heck is 'Godzilla' anyway?" I was honestly curious.

He gaped at me. "You don't know what Godzilla is? Geez, man, you haven't lived. Godzilla is him. It was like this monster thing in this super-old movie that terrorized people and destroyed things. How could you not know that? I mean, I know you were practically raised in Dr. Gunther-Hagen's little cage, but I never knew-"

"Not the time!" I shouted. "If you hadn't noticed, the monster is right in front of us!" Well, actually, we were kind of above the monster. We fly, of course, so we were looking down on it. But that didn't help us any when we were trying to destroy it.

"You know, this one is kind of smaller than the actual Godzilla," Fang remarked. "The real Godzilla –well, I guess the fake one, since the real one is right here in front of us- well, anyway, the Godzilla from the movie was like three hundred feet tall. This one is kind of smaller. So it should be easier for us to kill it."

"Well, jolly good for us," I rolled my eyes.

"Wait, there's more," Fang continued. When did he become the talkative one? "Sometimes, this was actually a good monster, protecting Tokyo from other monsters and stuff like that. So, maybe this one's nice."

At that precise moment, one of its arms swiped through the air, intent on taking Fang with it, he quickly maneuvered around it. "Oh, really? I don't think so," I rolled my eyes. "Look, nothing like this exists in real life. Dr. Gunther-Hagen is the only one who could do something like this. This thing was sent to kill us!"

And I dug in my backpack. Normally, this would be a Dora-the-Explorer moment, digging whatever I needed out of a backpack, but I was going to be prepared for anything, and I'd taken this from one of the villages we'd stopped at. I grabbed the rope, and sped towards the monster.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Fang flew after me. "You're going to get killed!" I ignored him. The monster opened its mouth for another ear-splitting roar, and I flew in and out of it easily, wrapping the rope tightly around his mouth and around, tying it closed so thick that even the monster couldn't open its mouth.

"Great, so you tied its mouth closed," Fang glared. "Now what?" I wordlessly pulled a machete out of my backpack. "Take this," I directed, "And kill him. I did the hard part, so now it can't eat you. So, get to it." I took a seat on the monster's head. Sadly, its arms were too short to do anything about it.

He looked at me dejectedly. "You owe me," he hissed, and it might have been my imagination, but I didn't just think he was talking about the matter at hand. My thoughts flew to Max. This was slowing us down, and we needed to get to her. _Hang on, Max. We're coming to save you. _

The monster stomped around angrily, as Fang flew down, scanning its scaly chest for where the heart was located. But he got a little too careless. The monster swiped at him, and this time, it hit. Caught in its claws, Fang struggled against it, but found himself defenseless. He struggled to breathe as his lungs were squeezed, until he was gasping for air.

And all I could do was stand there, helpless. I couldn't do a single damn thing to help him. I knew that I wanted him gone, wanted him dead, but I wasn't this low. All I wanted was for Max to be happy, and if he died, my fault or not, she'd never forgive me. Or herself, for that matter.

I took off my shoe quickly and flung it at the monster, specifically, in its left eye. It hissed in pain, releasing Fang. He made quick work of the monster's arm, slicing it off. He did the same to the other. And when the monster was totally defenseless, he flung the machete into the heart. I stepped off the head easily as the monster crashed to the ground.

"We are good," Fang said with a real smile as he handed me the blood-soaked machete and held out his fist. I stared at it for a moment, unsure of what to do. "You pound it," he clarified. I brought my fist to his hesitantly. But it felt good. Like…friendship?

**Nudge POV**

We threw the door open, fully prepared to make our escape, and nothing would stop us. Whatever happened, we had wings. Let the Director shove that in her face. But what we didn't expect to see was the Director right in front of us. She had murder on her face as she registered the thought that we'd beaten Dr. G-H and were ready to escape.

Without an ounce of hesitation, her hand instinctively reached for the alarm button on the wall, and I panicked. My fist shot out, and contracted with her nose, sending her spiraling back onto the floor. She looked up at us, shocked. But we didn't have time for the drama. I stepped over her and proceeded to do to her what I'd done to Dr. G-H. In seconds, she had passed out.

Max grabbed her and shoved her into the room with Dr. G-H. She had taken the keys from Dr. G-H, and grabbed the ones that the Director had, too. Locking the door behind her, she grabbed my hand and pulled me down the hall. We knew we didn't have much time before someone would be checking on us, and we had to be well away from this place by then.

Whenever we saw a guard, we ducked behind other doors. No one saw us, but no doubt that the security cameras would give something away. We maneuvered through countless hallways and down sets of stairs, having no idea where the exit was. I didn't really believe that we'd get out of there, not in one piece.

And I was right that there would be trouble. When we made it to the main balcony above the entrance, we breathed a sigh of relief. But it wasn't over. "Stop right there," I heard a voice behind me, and looked over. Behind us, and pointing a gun, was a girl with black hair and glasses, around twelve years old. She was skinny and resembled a twig, but judging from the wings behind her, I figured she was a lot more dangerous.

She was one of the Anti-flock. I saw the look in her eyes, the one that made her look evil. But she was just a kid, a kid who'd been brainwashed into thinking that what she was doing was right. I almost felt sorry for her. "On three," Max whispered just loud enough for her to hear. "One," she said, and pulled me over the edge.

A shot was fired. A shot that was aimed at Max, but never got there. I screamed as Max pulled me over the edge, desperate to get us out of there. I'd been clipped with a shot on my arm, I saw as blood seeped through my shirt. I looked back at the railing, at the furious little girl. How could someone be that evil, to brainwash someone who should have been sweet and good?

I was pulled through the doors and out into the forest, and I remembered vaguely that we were still in Venezuela. I didn't want to, but I felt my eyes closing. I looked at Max for one last time, and then everything went black.

**Gazzy POV **

I heard the gunshot, and prayed with all my might that Angel had told me the truth, that Max and Nudge had really escaped. If they had, then they could bring help, and we could get out of here.

But something inside me told me that we weren't done here yet. I still had to find some way to help Zera. I didn't know why, but I wanted to make her happy, and return her to the person that she was supposed to be, not the person they'd made her. I wanted her to be like us.

Later, when she was in my cell, setting up the machines for my next test, I looked her in the eye. "Zera, why do you do this?" She looked at me in disbelief.

"Do what?" she raised an eyebrow.

"You're not evil." It wasn't a question. "You're not evil. This is just what they want you to do. I know you're smarter than this. So why don't you just break free of it all? I can't understand why you're letting them manipulate you like this." Well, maybe I had said the wrong thing, because instantly, her hands were on my throat.

"Listen, you little brat," she glared at me. "I'm not being manipulated by anyone. I'm taking care of you because it's the right thing to do for the Director. Without this job, I'll die, and what will Zander and Zarra do when they're the only ones left? I need to protect them by doing this, or they'll be out on their own, and I won't let you spoil it!"

"You like me." Again, not a question. "You guys like us, and you won't admit it. If you'd just quit it with this whole world domination thing, you could all come with us, the real flock. Wouldn't that be better than just staying here and taking orders from them?" Slap.

"S-So what if I do? It's just because you've been sort of nice. I'm sure it'll pass once you're dead."

"I mean, more than that. I mean, you _like _us."

Slap.

"What I'm saying is, for whatever reason, I like you, too. I like who you are. I like the fact that you have a brain, and somewhere under this disguise, you have a heart. You're interesting, and you're amazing, not to mention pretty." I had no idea why I was making myself this vulnerable.

"Really?" she removed her hands from my throat and looked at me. And I saw the real bird girl that was under that disguise, the one that I already almost loved. "You like me?" I grinned. "Do you like me too?" She didn't answer. But suddenly, she darted forward and kissed my cheek lightly.

"I'll take that as a yes?" I asked, smiling slightly.

She bit her lip. "You can take it as a maybe," she grinned, and disappeared from the room.

**Zarra POV **

I didn't know what was going on inside me. I'd never felt this way about another person. But when I was holding Iggy in my arms, and when he'd said that I had him to fall back on, I just felt different. I felt appreciated, liked, maybe even loved, something I'd never really felt before. And it just felt right.

I didn't feel scared anymore. I didn't want to block my thoughts from him, I didn't want to lie anymore. I was who I was, and I couldn't help what I felt or who I loved. Zera would have to deal with that. I couldn't pretend that I didn't feel this way about him. But I knew one thing for sure.

The Director wouldn't win. I wouldn't let her take away the only person I'd ever loved. Sooner or later, I'd find a way to help the flock and destroy her. I was sure of it.

My heart was hammering in my chest as Iggy looked up at me. Could he hear it?

My heartbeat accelerated as he leaned closer.

I was sure I'd have a heart attack as he pressed his lips to mine gently.

Unsure of what to do, thinking he wouldn't want me, I wanted to pull back.

But I remembered what we'd gone through in such a short time. I didn't want to let him go.

So I kissed him back with everything I had, and sealed my fate.

**Thanks for reading! Don't really got much to say here. I'm so glad I finally got this chapter done. I had to do a LOT of googleing for Godzilla, having no idea at all what it is or specifically, what it looks like. I only had a vague idea. If something's not right, I DON'T CARE. I've NEVER SEEN THE MOVIES. So if that's all you care about, take your complaints elsewhere. xD Seriously though, review if you dare. :D **

**~Rachel **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N - Forgive me if this chapter's bad. I mean, my 'bad' still has all the grammar and correct spelling and everything xD But I'm sooo tired because I'm up early writing JUST FOR YOU! ^^ So, enjoy! Or not, just review, haha. **

**My Girl **

**Chapter 11**

**Fang POV **

After destroying that giant monster, we'd stopped to rest for the night. Having your spine crushed by a gigantic lizard tends to wear you out. So I was currently lounging against a tree trunk and watching the campfire slowly burn out. Dylan was somewhere behind us, exploring said giant monster.

Maybe it hadn't been a good idea for us to camp right next to it. I mean, what if the Director came to capture us while we were sleeping? I mean, it's kind of impossible to miss the monster from the air. I can't believe we really managed to kill it. What kind of a person carries a machete in their backpack? What if you sat on it the wrong way and it stabbed you?

"Get down from there," I said wearily, but he ignored me. I rolled my eyes. When I first saw the monster, I'd been the excited one. And now he was the one acting like a dork, climbing all over the monster and swishing the machete around like a retard. "Come on. Someone will hear you." Well, that was a lame excuse. There was no one around for a few miles.

He shrugged and hopped down. "Seriously, though. Do you have any idea what it takes to make one of these things? They have some serious brains in there doing their work for them. I bet they-"

"Enough," I cut him off. "I've heard enough of your psycho babble. Dr. Gunther-Hagen may seem all peachy perfect when you're in on it, but you seem to be forgetting that your creator is now trying to kill you. So shut up about what a freaking _hero _he is. It makes me want to barf." I rolled my eyes in disgust.

He waited patiently. "Are you done?" he asked. "Look, I _know _that Dr. Gunther-Hagen is a son of a bitch, alright? Don't think I have this hero worship for him just because he's my creator. I'm sure you and the flock have never exactly thought about God, have you?"

"That's different," I rolled my eyes. "The whitecoats created us, God had nothing to do with it. We were a mistake against nature, something 'God' never intended to happen. If there is a god out there, he's done a crummy job with us. So add that to your notebook," I said bitterly.

"Don't pity yourself any more," he said suddenly. "I've had it with pity, and I don't' want it from anyone. You may not have the best life, and I know I don't, but we both have the flock, a family, as much as any normal kid has a mom and dad. We'll have wings, and a freedom that no one else has, even if we have to save the world."

I rubbed my eyelids. "You're insane."

"I'm right," he insisted. "Look, lots of people go through their whole lives to become happy. It's generally a big deal. But if you're just dead set on being miserable, you'll never get there. And people think that they want comfort and someone to tell them it's not their fault, but that never helped anything."

"What are you trying to say?" I asked, annoyed.

"I'm trying to tell that for me to just agree with you and tell you that life sucks wouldn't do anything for you. It wouldn't fix your problems. So here's the deal. I'm telling you that your life isn't that bad. That maybe, if you're set on _enjoying _life instead of dreading it, you'll make you happier."

I scoffed. "If you didn't know, we're not saving the world because it makes us happy. We're doing it because it's the right thing to do, and we couldn't very well live as zombies under the Director's control. If we don't stop her, the world is practically dead. That's why we're saving the world. Not for some greater glory or purpose."

"Are you saving the world because if you don't, people might be unhappy?"

"Sure…"

"And if that happens and you can finally relax, won't you be happy?"

"Yeah."

"Congratulations, Fang, you figured out what the rest of the world did a long time ago. It's not all just to be depressed all the time. Most of what people try to accomplish in life is to make them happy. Working long hours just to make money so they can be happy, paying money to hospitals so they can get well and be happy, etcetera, etcetera."

"The point of life is to get stuff done, not to be happy! That's why we have so many hobos and miserable people in the world, who have totally given up on happiness. You don't have to be happy!" Dang, I was losing my cool.

"Don't you?" he asked.

**3****rd**** POV **

The Director sat at her desk, going through all the records and information on the flock once again. She wanted to make sure that there was nothing she had missed, no slice of information that would give the flock the upper hand. Right now, it would appear that they had the advantage. Max and Nudge had escaped, leaving only Angel, Gazzy and Iggy.

But this was also a good thing, she decided. The flock wouldn't leave one of their own in her care, not in a thousand years. And they also wouldn't just sit by and let her destroy the world. So they would be lured back like flies to honey, and fall into her trap all over again.

Her Anti-flock was not nearly so shallow as to sacrifice all for one. She knew that they would do whatever they would ordered, even Zarra, who had been a problem lately. It was simply the way they had been trained, and they were as loyal as dogs to her, especially that Zera.

Zera was the brain of the whole operation, she knew. Dr. Gunther-Hagen should have been the real scientist, but in reality, he was a bumbling idiot, and though he had created Zera, he was certainly no genius. But she was. She was thinking up all the obstacles, and came up with the very idea of the poisonous gas that could control minds.

Unfortunately, they were now recreating the gas, and it would have to be re-distributed throughout the countries of the world. The last gas had proved to be slightly short of expectations, and the effects were only temporary.

But she would definitely win. At all costs, she would beat Max and the flock. She was sure of it. She wouldn't fail again as she had two years ago.

The door to her office opened, and one of the whitecoats that she kept around to help Zera maker her ideas realities stepped into the room. She looked up and removed her reading glasses, giving him that signature stare that would make anyone else turn and run. That just made what he had to tell her that much more painful.

"Ms. Jenssen…it would appear that subjects Fang and Dylan have succeeded in destroying the monster you sent after him." He tried to ignore the angry spark in her eye. "They are now camping relatively close to the monster. If they figure out the secret ingredient in its blood…they could figure out how to use it."

"What secret ingredient?" she asked sharply. "I specifically asked for it to be a monster made to kill Fang and Dylan. No extra powers or anything that they could turn against it and use to kill it!" she fumed. "Honestly, whose idiotic idea was it for there to be a 'secret ingredient' in the blood?"

"Zera told me that you knew!" he exclaimed. "The whole reason that we included it is because you accepted it! And you know that we don't usually ask you questions, we just go ahead and do your will because you can be _scary_," he noticed her glaring. "I should shut up now."

"Go after them," she hissed. "Go after them tonight. They'll be past the Panama Canal by now. Get them and bring them here. I don't want any more screw-ups. Get them. We've already lost Max and Nudge. If we don't get Fang and Dylan to compensate, we're sunk."

"Alright-"

"Oh, and bring Zera in here, right away. I have a bone to pick with her."

"But-"

"_Now, _before I scoop your eyeballs out with a spoon! Move out!"

**Zera POV **

"So Max and Nudge have escaped, too?" Gazzy's eyes brightened with hope when I told him. My Director-worshipping soul was screaming in pain, this being classified information, but to see the smile on his face, I would have stabbed her in the heart. Not that I was going to, of course, and we'd been through that.

I nodded. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this. The Director was the one that sent me to shoot them. And she wanted a gunshot. I had to put on a show, so Nudge thinks that I'm out to kill her, now." I sighed. "But they're out there in the forests now. And it's dangerous. They've never been down here. There are animals and insects alone that can kill them, plus the people the Director is sending after them."

"So what you're trying to tell me is, we're doomed. The flock knows better than to forget about us, or to run away from the Director. They're going to get themselves killed, and we're next, right?" I nodded.

"Listen, quickly. I think someone's coming. The monster we sent to kill Fang and Dylan won't work, because it looks big and scary, but it's far too easy to kill. They will, and when they discover that it's blood, when used correctly, is capable of burning flesh, that's the key to killing the Director."

"What are you talking about? The Director is a human mixed with a turtle. Can't we just stab her in the heart and be done with it?" he wondered. I almost laughed. I just wished it was that simple to set us free. But I was smarter. If I went on their side now, and they lost to her, I'd be killed, too. And I wouldn't be forced on a suicide mission.

"Are you kidding? No one, not even Galapagos turtles, can live as long as she did and not suffer some damage. The human part of her, which is most of her appearance, won't age as well as the turtle in her. So now, in addition to being Galapagos turtle, she's also more than fifty percent robot. After they pour the blood on her, they'll need to, like, destroy her with a hammer or something."

He looked at me. "If you're willing to help me this much, and give me this valuable information, then why don't you just join us? We _will _beat the Director, and after we do, you can be free. Isn't that what you want?" There was confusion in his voice. But of course, he wouldn't understand.

"No," I said stubbornly, with my hand on the doorknob. "I've been working for the Director for over a year now. I think I know her well enough to say that she won't lose to a few mutant bird-kids with emotional problems. You'll notice that I don't feel any pain about killing all of you. If you let go of your emotions, it's easier to accomplish your goal. And you haven't."

"What do you mean?" he asked sharply.

I turned around and glared at him. "Because Max is ping-pong-balling back and forth from Fang to Dylan like a maniac, Nudge won't let Fang go even though he's destined to be with Max, Iggy's fallen in love with my sister, whose job is to kill him, Angel has too many emotional problems with controlling others to even mention, and you're still having this conversation with me."

"So what you're saying is, if you want to win, you have to be a selfish bitch who's obsessed with herself and has no need for emotions or any human feelings, forsaking ninety-eight percent of her genetic makeup just to throw it all away working for a crazy old bat. Oh, God, I'm so sorry that I didn't take the high road like you." He glared right back.

"It's a simple question, Gazzy: Do you want to live, or do you want to die, because if you choose the first, and join the Director, you'll have safety and security. And if you choose the second and join the flock, you will die. And that's a risk I don't want to take, that no sane person will want to take. I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to die just yet."

He rolled his eyes. "Neither am I. If you want to be on separate sides of this whole thing, then we'll be enemies. And when the flock wins, I won't hesitate to kill you."

I closed my eyes and opened the door. "Fine." And I stepped outside, smiling. It was easier this way. It was better this way. Now, he'd feel no connection to me, and have no problem with killing me. And I wouldn't have to deal with this unfamiliar emotion called love.

**Max POV **

I made my way through the forest slowly. We couldn't fly for fear of being seen in the day, so it was a slow process on foot. I carried the unconscious Nudge on my back all the way, not having anyone to complain to. She'd fainted when she saw the blood on her arm. It wasn't bad at all, she'd just been clipped a little.

Now, it was getting later, starting to get dark, and the forest was alive with the sounds of leaves rustling and all the insects. In a few minutes, I'd be able to fly. But on the ground, I was suddenly afraid. I didn't know what of, exactly. All I knew was that the forests in America didn't have giant snakes or vines or monkeys slinking around.

Suddenly, Nudge stirred from where I was carrying her piggy-back style. She looked up and realized where she was, hopping off me. "What happened?" she mumbled, glancing at the bandage I'd put on her arm. Then her eyes widened. "We escaped. I got shot." She blinked. "But what are we doing now?"

I set her down, much to her disappointment. I didn't blame her. I couldn't tell you how much I'd like a free ride when saving the world. "We're in the forest searching for Fang and Dylan. They've probably come this way, searching for us. So all we have to do is go in a generally straight generation and we'll run into them sooner or later."

She nodded, and we kept walking. I knew what we were both thinking. When we got to them, I'd be faced with a decision, who I wanted to be with. And it wouldn't be too long before they stared to demand a decision out of me. And I just didn't think I could deal with that on top of saving the world at that moment.

Lately, life hadn't been asking if this was a good time for me. I'd taken all the crap, handled it all, excluding the whole saving the world project that I was working on. So unfortunately, I'd have to keep doing this. When I got there, I'd pretend around them both, saying that it wasn't the time or that we had to focus on saving the flock, which wasn't entirely false.

"Max!" Nudge yelled at me, and I clamped my hand over her mouth when I saw Dylan and Max right behind us. They were kneeling on the ground next to the giant monster, for whatever reason. But behind them, they didn't notice the large, black helicopter that appeared in the distance, and their little attempt at a campfire was going to give them away.

"Guys!" I yelled. "Run!"

**Dylan POV **

I thought Fang was asleep, though I couldn't really tell. It wasn't much different from when he was awake, personally. It wasn't like he talked any more either way. I grabbed my backpack and went over to the monster, just to explore things. If we were going to fight these people, we might as well have known what we were up against.

I climbed up the rough, scaly skin to the top, where I inspected the long spines sticking out of its back that reminded me oddly of a picture of a dinosaur I'd seen in a children's book once. I climbed down slowly, stopping right where the machete had done through the heart.

Then I did something really stupid. That'll teach me to go poking monsters. I slowly started poking it to see what it felt like. And then… "_OW!_" I shrieked. "_Ow ouch ah holy shit crap!_" Fang woke up and scrambled over to where I'd been poking it. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked, glaring down at me.

"I poked it and my finger skin burned off!" I shouted. His eyes widened. "I don't know, it's like it was the blood that burned my hand!"

He rolled his eyes. "Take it easy. It's a monster, so don't expect for poking it not to harm you! The blood probably has something in it that burns skin." He thought for a moment. "Which, come to think of it, we could use. Take that water bottle out of your backpack."

I stared at him blankly. "We're going to empty out my water bottle just so we can collect dinosaur blood? Are you insane? What are we going to do with it, anyway? Sprinkle it on the Director and she'll die instantly? That's wrong, Fang. Wrong."

"So? It can kill the Director and save Max," he taunted, and I growled. "Fine," I snarled, getting the bottle out of my backpack and drinking the contents. I gave it to Fang, who very carefully started to pour the contents into the bottle. It wasn't made out of skin, so it held the blood nicely, which was a red-ish, purple-ish color.

So suddenly that it was like it just snuck up on us, a helicopter came out of nowhere and landed in the middle of the clearing, putting out the campfire. I looked up as it got closer, and somewhere in the forest, I heard someone scream, "Guys, run!"

Out of the enormous helicopter filed the Director's servants, I was sure of it. They ran out, and as hard as it was to fight them, they were pulling us in. But before I knew it, Max and Nudge appeared, and I couldn't say how happy I was to see her again, the both of them, actually. They kicked and fought with our attackers, driving them away.

And we thought that they were all unconscious, or dead. But it turned out that they were just pretending. Just as Max knocked the last one 'unconscious', They all got up, and dragged me into the helicopter. I shouted out in protest, when I noticed that I wasn't the only one. I saw Nudge getting pulled in, too.

My thoughts right then weren't of me. I didn't care what happened to me anymore. The only thing I cared about was getting Nudge away from the Erasers, and I felt the need to protect her more than anyone I'd ever known. The feeling sparked the same thoughts I had of Max, and I was shocked at myself.

Despite Max and Fang's protests, I yelled at them to run, because it wouldn't do us any good if they were captured, too. The flock needed to be saved, and if all four of us were captured, it wouldn't do them any good. So they took off running into the night. And as depressed as I was that Fang would probably get Max back, now, I let her go.

I looked over at Nudge, who was being tied to a chair just like I was. I had failed her. I had failed Max.

**Angel POV **

Don't ask me what happened, okay? All I knew was that one second, I was playing Chinese checkers with Zander, and the next second, something overtook my vision. I saw Max, Fang, Nudge and Dylan in a forest, and I saw a struggle with a helicopter. It was all a blur, but Dylan and Nudge were being dragged into some structure.

And just like that, it ended. Zander gave me a curious look. "Dylan and Nudge were captured," I said faintly. I couldn't believe it. Were they really strong enough to beat us at what we'd been working so hard to accomplish?

"It was supposed to be Dylan and Fang," he admitted. I glared at him furiously.

"You knew and you didn't tell me? I don't care if we're on different sides! If we're going to be enemies, then just stop coming here! I'm sick of you acting like a jerk, liking me one second and then going behind my back another! Screw me for caring about what happens to you, you ass!" I cursed.

"Will you relax?" he asked. "I don't make the decisions, okay? I'm just as much a prisoner here as you are. And I promise that when the time comes, I'll fly out of here with you and help you destroy the Director. But not right now. The flock needs to get together first. When they do, you'll be free."

"How can you be sure?" I asked. "We're never going to get out of here. I'll be trapped here forever because every time someone escapes, they always get captured again. We can't do this forever, Zander. We're running out of time! So how can you be sure?"

"Because I've seen it," he answered. "Just like you saw Dylan and Nudge getting captured a minute ago. I've seen it. I see you free."

"Thanks," I lowered my head. "Thanks…for being on our side. For not being her little puppet. Thanks for having your own mind and your own ideas of right and wrong. I don't want to fight you. I want us to _both _fly out of here."

He smiled wryly. For now, he'd let himself believe that, even if he knew it wasn't true. He'd let himself believe that he could go through his whole life knowing Angel, instead of a few days. Because in the final battle, he'd seen it. The flock might be able to defeat the Director, but when it was all said and done, only one flock would survive.

It wasn't going to be his. It wasn't destined to be so. And if he'd learned one thing, you can't argue with that.

**Thanks for reading! I will leave on vacation in two days, so no updates for a while, sorry! On the plus side, for those of you who have creepy monster blood obsessions, this chapter was clearly for you. **

**Review! **

**~Rachel**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N - Alright. For the first time in the history of this story (or really, anything I've ever written) I have A PLAN! :D I was up all night, so I wrote out an actual plan for the next few chapters! And guess what! The next chapter is way more interesting than this one! xD Sorry, more of that 'preparation for the better chapter' stuff. Not to say this one's horrible, but, well, you know. ^^;;**

**Now, on that cheerful note, **

**My Girl **

**Chapter 12**

**Dylan POV **

I fell backward onto the cold stone floor, ignoring the cracking noise that my back made and scrambling to my feet just in time to catch Nudge as she was pushed in after me. The door slammed closet, and I cursed silently. The whole damn room was made of concrete.

"Damn it!" Nudge surprised me by yelling. In the year or so that I'd known her, Nudge had turned out to be the most polite of the flock, the one most like a human. And she had always seemed a lot younger than she was because she acted immature. A lot.

"I was just in here, you bastards!" she shrieked, flinging herself at the door and giving it a good hard kick, to which she screamed again and jumped back, clutching at her now-injured foot. I scrambled to her side, but she kicked me away with said injured foot, screaming and falling against the wall.

I panicked. What the hell did she want? I could help her, but something told me she would just hurt herself in the process of trying to kick me again. And I could ignore her, but I wasn't sure if she wanted that, either. _Think, Dylan. Think. What do you do when Max is PMS-ing?_

_I don't think they have a closet to hide in here,_ I thought back at…my other thought. I cautiously approached her where she sat crying on the floor and holding her foot. "Nudge?" I asked hesitantly. "Please don't kick me again. I'm going to take your shoe off and see if anything's broken."

"No!" she shrieked. "You do that and I'll kick you in the nose!" I was promptly hit in the face with her shoe. I staggered back and hid behind the table in the center of the room. "Stop throwing things at me!" I growled. "I'm trying to help you!"

"This is your fault in the first place!" she yelled, and threw her other shoe in me. I ducked just in time, and I heard it hit the wall behind me. She glanced at her feet, expecting to see another shoe to throw at me. Seeing that there weren't any, she crawled over to one of her shoes and prepared to launch it at me again.

"Wait, wait, wait!" I stopped her. "What do you mean, this is my fault? The last time I checked, we're _both _in here. You're not the only victim!" Another shoe was thrown. "Will you _stop doing that_?" She gave an indignant huff.

"Everything's your fault! It's your fault we're in here, because they were looking for _you _and they found _us_, and it's your fault because _your _psychotic creator is helping the Director! But it's especially your fault that you came after me and didn't go with Max and Fang!"

I raised an eyebrow, trying to figure this out. "Wait…you're mad at me because I tried to save you and got myself captured because of you, instead of doing the selfish thing and escaping with Max and Fang? I don't really understand your logic."

She rolled her eyes. "Idiot. Max and Fang escaped. _Max and Fang_. Now that they're alone, they'll get back together. And it's all your fault for trying to rescue me, and _not succeeding, _by the way. You just ruined everything!" She shrieked again as she stamped her injured foot.

I'd forgotten. She was right. Max and Fang would get back together now that they would be alone. Hell, it wouldn't be five minutes before she kicked me to the curb and chose him. "I didn't see you helping anything when you were getting carted away into the helicopter."

She bit her lip and slumped against her eyes. She had that look on her face like she was going to cry. I'd seen Max cry plenty of times in the last year, so I knew what to look for. And sure enough, her eyes started to water. "Hey. Hey!" I panicked. "Don't cry! It's going to be okay! Just don't cry!"

"Why, does it bother you?" she asked tearfully. I nodded. "Good!" she shouted, and ripped her bracelet off, throwing it at me. "You jerk! I'm in pain here and it's all your fault! Now get over here and find out what's wrong with my foot before I kill you!"

I decided to resort to the back-up plan – smile and nod and agree with every single thing she said. "Sure," I smiled -and nodded-, and walked over to where she sat. "I seriously don't think anything's broken. You probably just stubbed your toe or twisted your ankle running. You'll be fine."

"Really?" she looked up at me, and my heartbeat quickened in my chest. She had the most gorgeous brown eyes, with long eyelashes. I didn't know why I'd never noticed it before. I gulped and nodded, and she smiled. "Thanks."

"Do you like me again?" I flashed her a grin, but I was confused. Since when did I use the word 'gorgeous' to describe one of my best friends? 'Gorgeous' is supposed to be a word you reserve for someone like Max. I liked _Max. _And she was in the hands of the emo maniac.

"I guess," she grumbled, and scooted closer. She put her head on my shoulder and snuggled into my arm. I sighed uncomfortably, noticing that she was almost asleep, and yet she still managed to hug me. He she forgotten about Fang in a matter of two minutes?

Dang, she worked fast.

I stared out the small window at the grey sky, and fell asleep with Nudge as the rain started to pour.

**Zera POV **

I walked into the Director's office calmly, shutting the door behind me as I always did. The Director loved me, and trusted me, more so than Zander or Zarra. So why would she suspect anything of me? After all, I was the only one carrying out all of her orders without specifically breaking her rules.

…Or so I thought. One look at her face was all it took to make me shudder. She was in one of her moods again. And she got scary when she was in her moods. I winced internally as she spoke. "Have a seat, Zera," she said icily, and I sat down cautiously.

"So, what did you want to see me about?" I asked politely, thinking something much different on the inside, mind you, but on the outside, I was perfect little Zera, someone no one could ever despise. Unless, of course, I was pointing a gun at your head or something like that.

"Oh, I just wanted to have a little chat with you," she put on a cheerful face. That was bad news. It was always the fake cheerfulness that fooled you into thinking that everything was okay right before she bit your head off. And just like I thought she would, she snapped.

In seconds, she had me by the shirt collar, practically choking me, but I didn't dare complain. "Where were you at twenty minutes ago?" she snarled, and my blood ran cold. I had been with Gazzy for the last half hour. "Tell me!" she shrieked, and I flinched.

"I was running a few tests on the blonde boy," I lied through my teeth, and we both knew it wasn't true. "I was wondering if there was something that might give us an advantage in the final battle. You know. Everyday stuff. What've you been up to?" I changed the subject.

"Oh, you're not getting off that easily," she snarled. "While you were running your little _tests _on your _perfect little match_, one of my lab rats informed me that you did something particularly interesting to the blood of the Kaiju. Would you care to explain to me _what the hell you were thinking?_!"

_Someone needs a breath mint, _I wrinkled my nose. "Um, yeah. Simple. I gave its blood a component that will melt any and all human flesh. Easy. So that if they try to kill it and they get its blood on them, their skin will melt off. What's the big idea?" _Hot damn, I'm good. _

"Oh, really?" she still wasn't buying it. "You didn't do it so that they could possibly figure out how to use it and turn it against me? You know how crucial it is that no one here knows what I really am? What if they come here and spill some 'monster blood' all over me, and the skin melts off?"

"That would suck," I stifled a laugh. "Relax. Zander, Zarra and I are the only ones besides Dr. Gunther-Hagen know, and we're loyal to you. Nothing is going to happen to you, I promise," I smiled welcomingly, manipulating the adorable twelve-year-old part of me like a pro. "You work too hard. You're too paranoid."

She released her death grip on me and shrank back. "You're right. I'm probably blowing this way out of proportion. Thank you, Zera. Do me a favor and round up your brother and sister. Go over the plans for the final battle with them." I nodded angelically, and walked from the room.

"Rot in hell," I muttered, and slammed my fist into the nearest wall. When did "the blonde boy" change my mind about everything I was supposed to work for? When had I become trapped like this?

**Max POV **

I slumped against the trees, sweaty and exhausted, just wanting to forget the day. I had just let Dylan be captured, but right now, I couldn't bring myself to care. As I was carrying Nudge on my back, I remembered a lot of things. I remembered all the questions that I had after Fang left.

Why had he left me, if he loved me more than anything else in the world? Why did he intentionally break his promise to me, to play hero and save the day? Why would he come back and expect to be forgiven, and more importantly, why _did _I immediately forgive him?

I didn't want comfort from Fang. For the first time, I didn't want to crawl into his arms and know that everything was okay. I wanted to forget him, once and for all. I wanted to hurt him, wanted to torture him, wanted him to leave me alone. He was the only thing I had in the world at the moment, and I hated him.

"You have to eat something," I heard his voice, but I ignored it and burrowed further into the tree trunk. "Come on, Max. I already made the campfire. I know you're tired, but the least you could do is eat some crackers or a can of baked beans or something. You'll need strength for tomorrow."

I rolled my eyes under my eyelids. "Since when did you become the leader?" I grumbled, but I didn't open my eyes. I could practically feel him getting irritated with me, but I ignored him. He could get as damn irritated as he wanted.

"Since the leader refused to eat anything, and just went through a traumatic day. Look, Max…please? Just eat something. I don't really think you've been eating as much as you need to." I rolled my eyes and sat up.

"Oh, please. Forgive me for not taking the time from _saving the freaking world _to eat as well as I should have. Now, if you'll excuse me," I glared at him and closed my eyes again, leaning against the tree trunk.

"God, why are you so hateful all of a sudden?"

I sat up and glared at him, murder on my face. "You wanna talk to me about being hateful, Fang? You know what's hateful? Leaving someone you said you loved to wonder what they did wrong. Or how about this? Letting them worry about you every day, and why they couldn't come with you. Oh, wait, I've got a better one. What about sneaking around, lying and taking off to play the hero while you let everyone you love down? How's that for hateful, you jerk?"

I was on my toes screaming, but I didn't stop there. "How could you have left me, Fang? You promised that you'd never leave again! Things were finally going right for us! And you _left me _to go on your own 'special mission'. God, you're either an ego-maniac or a bigger ass than I thought!"

"I did it to help you," he whispered. "You needed to sort your thoughts out, and everyone knew it. Me being gone gave you a chance to think about what you really want out of your life."

Screw slapping, I always did hit like a dude. My arm snapped out and I punched him, square in the face. Blood erupted from his nose, and I looked away in disgust as he fell against the tree, looking down at me in disbelief.

"The one thing I never wanted _out _of my life was you, Fang!" I almost shouted. "I never told you to leave. I wanted you to stay there with me. You leaving was really just what the flock told you to do! It was stupid. It killed me."

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

"Sorry isn't good enough, Fang!" I gave a weary chuckle. "It wasn't good enough when I was actually crying myself to sleep it night. Sorry wasn't freaking good enough when I was wondering if _I _had done something to make you leave."

We were both sitting on the ground. I gave a dry chuckle. "It's funny. No one's ever asked what I wanted out of my life. I never wanted to save the world, but I'm trying. And no one asked me if I wanted the Voice in my head. I didn't."

I shook my head. "But strangely, even when I told them that all I wanted was you, they started questioning me, and asking if this was what I wanted. You were the only choice I ever made for myself, and I couldn't even have that."

"I know that what I did was wrong," he looked up at me. "I do. But I came back because I love you. I want to be with you." And man, did that sound like a swell idea.

He leaned in to kiss me, and I didn't pull away. Maybe I could convince myself that I could fall in love with him again if he kissed me. And when his lips touched mine, I felt that familiar electricity, the same feeling that I had been missing for over a year. And I never wanted him to leave me again.

"Stop," I mumbled against his lips, pulling away. He looked at me in confusion. But if I didn't tell him the truth now, I never would. "I love Dylan," I looked away. "He took care of me when you were gone. I'm probably…alive because of him."

"You love me more," he stated, and I nodded.

"I shouldn't," I whispered. "He's done everything for me. He gave me his life, and he wasted so much time on me just because of you. He had to give me up for you when you just popped back into our lives. And I hurt him because of you. It isn't fair for me to love you."

"It shouldn't be about what's fair, Max."

I looked up at him. "I'm not who you're supposed to be with. Nudge is your 'perfect other half'. Did you know that? She's yours, just like Dylan's mine. You're not supposed to be with me. You belong with her."

"But I love _you_." I looked down. "So you choose him?"

I stood up. "I don't know. We have work to do, and I'm not making a choice now." I took off walking, and didn't look back. He didn't follow me.

**Nudge POV **

"So, let me get this straight," Dylan struggled against my arm, "You're Fang's 'perfect other half', just like I'm Max's?" he asked in disbelief. That split second was all I needed to push a little harder and overpower him. "Damn," he cursed. I grinned.

"Isn't the guy supposed to be better at arm-wrestling than the girl?" I grinned. He glared at me. "Oh, right, not when the girl is a mutant, got it," I laughed. "Yeah, that's pretty much true. I didn't know that. I always thought I was part of the actual flock. I guess I was wrong."

He shrugged. "At least there's not a wall between you and the other members of the flock. They already know you, so you aren't any threat to them, and they feel like they can trust you." He looked down. "It took almost a year for Max to even smile at me."

For some reason, he said it like Max was this goddess or something. He had her up on such a pedestal that it made me sick. I didn't know why I cared, but I did. "Why the heck do you even love her?" I blurted before I could stop myself, then clamped a hand over my mouth.

"It's okay," he sighed. "Nothing you guys haven't heard before. She's smart, pretty, caring, fearless, etcetera. She also let me into the flock, even though she didn't have to."

"That doesn't explain why you love her," I said simply. "Anyone can be pretty or smart or caring or fearless. And we all let you into the flock, even though we should have hated you. What makes you love her?" He frowned.

"Look, it's complicated, alright?" He was getting frustrated. "Alright, how about you? What makes you like Fang so much? As far as I've seen, he's an emo kid with a bad attitude, and that's all there is to it."

I slapped him. "It's not like that. You just don't like him because you two are competing. He's soft on the inside, like a brownie or something. He really cares about all of us. And he only left to help Max. Give him a break."

"That doesn't explain why you love him," he said smugly. "Plus, aren't you a little young to love anyone? You're only fourteen, after all." Another slap.

"Alright, alright! The only reason that I love him is because he's everything I want in a guy, and he's everything I can't have! I could never get someone like him! Max keeps going back and forth like a damn ping-pong ball, and she's using the both of you! She gets all the guys, all the time!"

"Fang is a lousy jerk who doesn't value anything except for his skull-and-crossbones T-shirts! He left Max when she needed him the most, twice! He hasn't done shit for you for a year, and all of a sudden, you welcome him back, when he wants to get rid of me! What is it that makes you freaking worship him?"

"You follow Max around like a little puppy!"

"You keep a picture of Fang in your pocket!"

"Wait, how did you know that?"

"Oh, one time I was doing the laundry, and…hey, wait, that's irrelevant!"

"No, it's not!"

We were face-to-face on our toes, screaming, when the door opened up and one of the whitecoats poked his head inside. "Would you two keep it down? One of the subjects came out of a coma to tell you to shut the hell up!" He slammed the door, and we stood in the center of the room, just blinking.

I bit my lip and stepped closer. "I guess…Fang isn't that great."

He grinned. "And I guess there's nothing that great about Max, either."

**Iggy POV **

_I'm going to tell her tomorrow,_ Zarra thought at me. I looked down at her questioningly. We were in my jail cell, splitting a pizza, again. _I'm going to tell the Director that I won't fight in her war. That I won't fight you. _

"Don't, Zarra. You'll only end up getting yourself killed. Nothing's going to change for me if you tell her, except for the fact that you won't be in here to keep me company anymore." I gave her a wry smile.

_You think I'm kidding, _she mentally snarled at me. _I'm not joking, Iggy. If I don't tell her, she's going to make me fight you, and it's sooner than you think. I'd rather die now than deal with that._

"What makes you so sure you'd win the fight?" I asked indignantly.

_Hmm, let's see. Blind guy with an ordinary sense of hearing and poor fighting skills versus a tear-your-eyes-out, non-blind, hardcore fighting machine, figuratively. Yeah, sure, you'll do great, honey. _She rolled her eyes at me.

"But don't forget that when I'm around you, I can see," I smiled. I loved that about her. Not to say that I didn't love the rest of her, too.

_You left out the part about the poor fighting skills, _she joked. _Iggy, if I don't do this now, it could be bad. I'm not telling you so that I can brag about my superior strength –which I _do _have-, I'm telling you so you know that I won't fight you. _

"Fine," I said reluctantly. "Don't get hurt. That woman is totally vicious. You know that better than anyone." She nodded, and kissed me lightly on the cheek. After that, she was gone, and I was left with my blindness. But more importantly, I got the distinct feeling that I had just seen her for the last time.

**Yay! Chapter finished! You may now leave me a review! xD **

**~Rachel**


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